Lord Mayor’s Show in London
The 2008 Lord Mayor’s Show
The 2008 Lord Mayor’s Show will be on Saturday 8 November at 11am. Over 6100 people are going to take part in the 2008 Lord Mayor’s Show, including 2000 servicemen and women, 220 vehicles, 71 floats, 13 marching bands, 21 carriages including the glorious State Coach and of course the giant figures of the City’s guardians Gog and Magog. The procession is 3 miles long but fits into a route of only 1.7 miles: if you want to find out how that works, you’ll have to come and see!
The start of the procession is at 11.00am, after a thrilling and immaculately timed aircraft flypast. The procession then follows the traditional route through the streets of the City to the Royal Courts of Justice where the Lord Mayor Elect takes his oath of allegiance to the Sovereign before the Lord Chief Justice and the Judges of the Queen’s Bench Division.
The procession pauses as the Lord Mayor takes his oath and then at 1pm it sets off on the return journey from Victoria Embankment to Mansion House, where the newly sworn-in Lord Mayor arrives to be greeted by the City Aldermen and Livery Company Masters in their colourful gowns.
If you are planning on being there and visiting, then have a look at the timetable for the procession for further details.
History
There has been a Lord Mayor of London ever since 1189, when Henry Fitzailwyn first held office.
It wasn’t until 1215, when King John granted a Charter allowing the City’s citizens to elect their own mayor, that the Lord Mayor’s Show actually came into being. The Charter stipulated that the new Mayor must be presented to the Sovereign for approval and to swear fealty to the Crown, so each year the newly elected Mayor had to travel from the City to Westminster to pledge allegiance.
The Lord Mayor has been making that yearly journey for 784 years, surviving plague and fire and countless wars and insurrections. The modern Lord Mayor’s procession is a direct descendant of that first journey to Westminster and the pageantry of Pepys and Canaletto is recognisable today.
Over the years the Mayor’s Journey became so splendid that it became known as the Lord Mayor’s Show. Today’s Shows are a wonderful mixture of past, present and future with today’s businesses, Livery Companies, charities, Her Majesty’s Forces, the City Police and Londoners from all walks of life coming together to enjoy a splendid celebration of the City’s tradition and future.
The Lord Mayor’s procession winds through nearly 800 years of London’s history, marching unscathed through everything from the black death to the blitz. In the 17th century it was inconvenienced by the building site that would later become St Paul’s Cathedral. In the twentieth it was the first event ever to be broadcast live on television. In the 21st, it’s a day out for half a million people, with millions more watching on the BBC.
The loyalty of the Lord Mayor is probably less questionable now than it was in 1215, but the newly elected Mayor must still make his way to the Royal Courts of Justice to pledge allegiance to the Crown, just as Dick Whittington did in 1397 (and again in 1406 and 1419). As you watch the Lord Mayor’s coach go by, remember that someone stood in exactly that spot 450 years ago and marvelled at the sight of a camel on its way to meet Elizabeth I.
The modern procession is over three miles long – 1.3 miles longer than the route it follows – and starts at 11am after an RAF flypast. It travels from Mansion House to the Royal Courts of Justice, where the Lord Mayor takes an oath of allegiance to the sovereign before the Lord Chief Justice and the judges of the Queen’s Bench Division. The procession sets off on the return journey from Victoria Embankment to Mansion House at 1pm and returns to Mansion House at about 2.30, then the day finishes with one of London’s grandest firework displays at 5 o’clock from a barge moored in the Thames between Blackfriars and Waterloo bridges.
Getting There
The police have asked to mention that the Strand area gets very busy at lunchtime, partly due to the three-mile procession that has been folded into its side streets. It’s very hard to get through there, a lot of the roads can’t be crossed, and people coming to see the return leg of the procession are sometimes unable to get through in time. It’s worth avoiding the whole area if you can.
By tube
Several tube stations will bring you out right on the processional route: St Pauls is on the outward leg, Blackfriars and Mansion House on the return leg, and Bank is on both.
Several other stations are within a very easy walk: Cannon Street, Monument and Moorgate are only a minute or two away, and Temple is close to the Royal Courts. They’re all on the map.
All these stations – especially Bank and St Pauls – are likely to be busy: leave a bit more time than usual for your journey, and please be patient leaving the station.
By bike
Bikes are a great way to get to the Show, but please lock them up some way away from the route and walk the last bit. The police will remove any bikes attached to railings on or near the route, and wheeling a bike through the crowds will not win you many friends.
By bus
The buses will get you as far as Liverpool Street, Old Street, Kingsway or the South Bank, any of which are within walking distance of the Show. Buses will not be travelling through the City, and many will be subject to diversions and delays as a result. The map of roads closed will give you a good idea of how close your bus is likely to get.
