The Draper's Company Court Lunch
15th June 2017Drapers' Hall
Drapers' Hall must be one of the most beautiful livery halls in the City. We enjoyed an excellent dinner there earlier in the year. Not only is it the prettiest, it is also one of the biggest halls with many function rooms illuminated by gold leaf and adorned by beautiful works of art. Arriving just a few minutes after 12:30, I donned my badge and joined a group of guests in the garden, adjacent to Throgmorton Avenue. Having met many masters a few days earlier at Ironbridge, I was soon chatting enthusiastically while glasses of Louis Roederer were being topped up. We were called to lunch and I found myself sitting opposite to Past Master Sir Peter Bottomley MP. A starter of pressed Looms Wood duck was accompanied by a white Nuits Saint Georges, Domaine de L'Arlot, La Gerbotte, 2010. The main course of Hay baked beef was enhanced by Leoville Barton, 2004 and the dessert of buttermilk and lavender pie was lubricated by a glass of Domaine de l'Alliance 2011. Toasts were assisted by Dow's '97.
The hospitality was generous and the company was great fun. Master William Charnley invited us to view a gallery of exhibits put on show for a visit to the hall by HM The Queen two weeks earlier. The exhibition included ancient charters granted to the Company, including a photograph of a young Princess Elizabeth being installed a freeman of the Company.
The afternoon was rounded off with a very pleasant chat with the Master Shipwright over a cleansing ale in King's Arms Yard.