Furniture Maker's Masters & Clerks Lunch: Furniture Makers' Hall
6th October 2016This Company is numbered 83, as a consequence, they walk two behind us in the Lord Mayors Show - or at least they're supposed to.. The last two years we have smoked our long churchwardens and, it seems, enticed a number of those following to catch up and walk with us! As a result of this, and later at Ironbridge, Master Ben Burbidge and I have got to know one another and we now provide a pipe for him to join us at the Show. Ben kindly invited us to this lunch which naturally takes place at the newly refurbished Furniture Makers Hall, a bijou place, but very nicely appointed (and with excellent furniture!). Meeting the patient Clerk outside at 12.30, we joined the maelstrom inside. Master Ben soon found us and, together with the Master Draper, we passed the few short minutes before the shock of the gavel summoned us. Suffice to say they gave us a very jolly reception and lunch - perhaps only 60 or so of us, so quite small, but was very pleased to have fine company either side of me - the Master Turner (Nicholas Somers) and Liveryman Patrick Lennox tried my blend of snuff, with mixed results, but they felt very good afterwards!. The Master Draper proposed the toast, seconded by the Prime Warden who noted our habit of poaching Masters to join our merry band.. Thank you Ben and Wardens - see you at the Show in a month or so, and on the circuit before then I'm sure..