Annual Banquet
16th October 2024Grocers hall
Our Annual Banquet took place this year at Grocer’s Hall, which was beautifully laid out and looked very sumptuous. 138 guests at the dinner was the perfect number for a room that is designed to hold a maximum of 150 people, so everybody had enough room!
After the initial drinks reception in the Piper Room (so called because of the tapestries by the artist John Piper on the wall), the officers of the company processed into the hall accompanying guests Sir Christopher Greenwood, Master of Magdalene College Cambridge, his wife Lady Susan Greenwood, our host Guy Chisenhale-Marsh (the Master Grocer), Philip Rodrigo, the Master Cutler in Hallamshire, Paul Galpin the Master Cook, Aubrey Durnford, the Master Scientific Instrument Maker, Neil Sampson, the Master Wheelwright and Lt Col Chris Sykes (CO 1st Battalion London Guards). The London Fanfare Trumpets played us in to Scipio.
After a very fine meal, we moved on to the Port and Snuff, which seemed to go down very well with our guests, despite most of them never having tried it before! Maybe we have some converts?
After the Guests welcome speech, ably delivered by Court Assistant John Clark, Sir Christopher gave a very entertaining and amusing speech about his life as an International Law barrister and judge, including short notice brushes with the Chilean President General Pinochet. He also spoke about Samuel Pepys, whose Library and Diaries are held by Magdalene College.
After a reply by myself, the London Fanfare Trumpets provided a very fine and rousing selection of music, including a medley of Ennio Morricone’s Western film music (The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, Once upon a Time in the West etc), the Post Horn Gallop and New York, New York. However, the musical highlight was a brand new arrangement for brass of the song Tightrope from the film, The Greatest Showman, done specifically for our banquet. It was a great success.
Unfortunately by the time we arrived back in the bar, we were running out of time, and sadly we had to leave in a hurry…
However, it was a wonderful evening which I hope everybody enjoyed – we certainly did!