Beer Money Ceremonies 2018

This month we were delighted to hold our traditional 'Beer Money' ceremonies for students of Dame Alice Owen's School, with the Master presenting coins to over 1,000 students from the school. This ceremony not only strengthens the bond between the Brewers' Company and the current students, but also remembers the long historical connection between the Company and the School, since its foundation in 1613.

For the majority of students the Beer Money Ceremony takes place at the school on the final day of term, but Year 7 students are invited to come to Brewers' Hall and are presented with a special commemorative coin. This year the coin selected was a crown minted specially to celebrate four generations of royalty - it is the first time that The Queen, her son The Prince of Wales, her grandson The Duke of Cambridge and her great-grandson Prince George of Cambridge have been honoured together on an official United Kingdom coin.

The Brewers' Company keeps a collection of Beer Money coins going back several years and includes coins commemorating events such as the 200th anniversary of the Battle of Waterloo, the London 2012 Olympics, the Golden Jubilee and the 70th birthday of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. Over the years the collection has become somewhat unwieldy, so we were very pleased to have assistance with sorting it from Matt Crook-Sycamore - a student from Dame Alice Owens School who joined the Company for some work experience in his summer holidays.