The cloudy skies did not deter the crowds as the main part of the Lord Mayor’s Show got underway with the new mayor Alan Yarrow was escorted by other dignitaries to the ornate State coach to begin his journey to St Paul’s for a blessing and then to Royal Courts of Justice to swear the Oath of Allegiance to the Sovereign.
The Lord’ Mayor’s show is one of oldest civic pageants in the world. It began in 1215, when King John allowed the Mayor of London to become one of the first elected offices in the modern world.
It is the connection between the modern and the ancient that makes the show a strange mixture of pageant and spectacle with weird and wonderful costumes and vehicles. The 2014 procession will have over 7000 participants, with 21 bands, 150 horses, 23 carriages carts and coaches, and hundreds of other vehicles; vintage cars, steam buses, tanks, tractors, ambulances, fire engines, unicycles, steamrollers, giant robots, ships amongst others.
Towards the head of the procession you will see two wicker giants. They are Gog and Magog, the traditional guardians of the City of London, and they have been carried in the Lord Mayor’s Show since the reign of Henry V.
The floats and displays were dominated by City’s businesses, Livery Companies, charities, Her Majesty’s Forces, the City Police and Londoners from all walks of life.
It is one of the more unusual parades in London and is always popular with the crowds that throng the streets surrounding the parade.
Each parade is 18 months in the planning stage and the Pageantmaster, Dominic Reid makes sure that everything runs like clockwork.
The Armed Forces are well represented with a wide range of regiments and bands.
There are what is known as the Great Twelve Livery Companies, however there are in total 11o Livery Companies in the City which represent a diverse range of trades, crafts and professions. Each year the Livery Companies donate around 40 million pounds to good causes and charities.
At St Paul’s, the new Lord Mayor and his wife kneel down to receives a blessing before they carry on their journey to the Royal Courts of Justice.
The Lord’s Mayor show is one of the great pageants of London starting with the River Flotilla in the morning, the main parade and then the firework display in the evening. The City of London plays a crucial part in the commercial functioning of London and although moving with the times, pays homage to its traditions. Much of their work is often hidden but events like the Lord Mayor’s show illustrates the public face of the corporation.
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