COMPANY MEDAL PRESENTATIONS AT THE ALMSHOUSES: 14 JULY

At Edmanson's Close I explain the story of the medal before making presentations.  The room is the combined social club and chapel.  Photograph with thanks to Herry Lawford.

On Thursday I presented Drapers' Company Medals at the Company's three almshouses.  Alastair Ross, the Clerk, came with me.  We visited Queen Elizabeth College and Walter's Close in the morning and Edmanson's Close in the afternoon.  Readers of this blog will know that residents of the almshouses over 85 and who have lived in a Drapers' almshouse for five years are eligible to receive the medal.

At each site I explained about the decision to reinstitute the medal after a hundred years or so and the further decision to present it to residents.  I then presented the medals to those who were well enough to receive them.  I also made special visits to those who felt they could no leave their cottages or flats.

At each almshouse we were given excellent tea and cakes and it was good to catch up with the residents' stories.  Past Master Sir Nicholas Jackson was with us at Queen Elizabeth College and Liveryman Herry Lawford at Edmanson's Close.

I sensed the presentations were popular.  The medals are individually named and are thus a real link between the Company and the individual recipient.  They are also a token of the Company's ongoing commitment as trustees of the various almshouses.

Alastair and myself just about to leave Edmanson's Close.  Photograph with thanks to Herry Lawford.

THIRD DRAPERS' CONCERT: 4 MAY

The conclusion of 17th Concert Season and the 51st concert in the Hall was on Tuesday evening.  It was a great end to the season and featured musicians from the Guildhall School of Music and Drama.

The programme, performed before a packed Livery Hall, began and ended with excellent performances by the Carter Wind Quartet - comprising Emily Heathcoate, clarinet, Holly Rearden, bassoon, Emma Whitney, horn, Mary Noden, oboe and Jessica Lowe, flute. Jason Anderson, a premising young composer was on piano. The Quartet started with a performance of Mozart and concluded with a most interesting composition by Poulenc.

The remainder of the programme was a number of pieces played by Grace Yeo on piano.  These were Schubert Impromptu D935,  Schumann Sonata No2 in G Minor Op 22, Ravel Ondine from Gaspard de la Nuit and concluded with three pieces by Liszt: Sonetto de Petraca 104, Concert etude Gnomenreigen and Concert Paraphrase on Verdi's Rigoletto. Grace gave very impressive performances that fully explored the emotional aspects of the compositions.  She held the audience spell-bound. 

Principal Barry Ife and Professor Joan Harvill of the Guildhall School of Music and Drama were present.  They have been great supporters of the Company's concert programme in the past and their enthusiasm for for what we do is much appreciated.

In my summary at the end of the performances I gave particular thanks to Sir Nicholas Jackson Bt who started the programme off in 1995 and with careful planning and imaginative choices of programme has seen it go from strength to strength.

I further noted that Sir Nicholas, in his capacity of Director of the Concertante of London, was giving a baroque recital at the Banqueting House, Whitehall on Monday 4 July with a programme including Vivaldi, Bach, Handel concluding with a full performance of the latter composer's Ode to Queen Anne's Birthday (1713).

We now look forward to the 18th season next spring.

MEMORIAL SERVICE FOR PAST MASTER TREVOR ELDRID 20 APRIL

Past Master Trevor Eldrid (1916-2011) in 1977, the year he was Master

By tradition and if the family wish the Company hold a memorial service for past masters at St Michael's, Cornhill.  On the morning of 20 April a service was conducted by Past Master Rev Peter Taylor in memory of Trevor Eldrid (see post in January).

There was a good turn out and Rev Peter Taylor conducted the service with considerable affection and full recognition of Trevor's great contribution to the Company.  Past Master Sir Nicholas Jackson played the newly restored organ built by Renatus Harris in 1684 and substantially modified since 1790.  He was one of the patrons of the Appeal Committee and with others ensured this important organ has been restored to its former glory.

A lunch was subsequently held for those who attended, including Trevor's wife Pam, at the Hall afterwards.

VISITATION TO QUEEN ELIZABETH COLLEGE, GREENWICH: 7 APRIL

Quen Elizabeth College looking from the north.  In the centre is the chapel and around it are the one bedroom cottages originally built in 1818 and subsequently extended some thirty five years ago.  The trees, largely cherry, are always in bloom at Visitation time.

On Thursday the Master and Wardens conducted their first almshouse visitation to Queen Elizabeth College (QEC) in Greenwich.  The Visitation is now an enirely ceremonial affair. But in the past it used to be the highpoint - or possibly high stress point for the staff - of the year when the efficiency and good management of the almshouse was thoroughly inspected by the Master and Wardens on behalf of their fellow trustees who then reported back their findings to the Court.

The Visitation of QEC also has a further feature.  When the endowment was established by William Lambarde in 1576 he asked the Master of the Rolls, one of England's most senior judges, to be the Visitor.  Lambarde had a particular friendship with Sir William Cordell who was Master of the Rolls at the time and 325 years later the tradition continues.  This year Baron Neuberger of Abbotsbury paid his second visit to the College.

The Visitation started with a short service in the chapel, that can seat about fifty.  Rev Chris Moody, Vicar of St Alfege and also a member of the Company's Sir William Boreman Foundation that helps students in of the London Boroughs of Greenwich and Lewisham, officiated.  Towards the end of the service the Master of the Rolls gave a short address and as he left the chapel he was, as is traditional, presented with a pair of white kid gloves.  These are nowadays returned for use on following years.

We then moved on to the community centre where we met a large number of residents.  I have been Chairman of the Friends of Drapers' Almhouses (FODAH) for some years now and it was good to meet up with residents I have known for some time and also to meet new faces.  Also members of FODAH including Liverymen Felicity Conway and Jonathan Bush as well as Sir Nicholas Jackson Bt, who leads the QEC FODAH team, were present.  Any member of the Company is also invited to attend and it was good to see a recently joined Freeman, James Baily, present.

All in all a lovely day, the sun shone, the blossom looked lovely and with the Visitation completed spring has definitely arrived.

Later this month we are visiting Walter's Close in Southwark and Edmanson's at Bruce Grove, Tottenham but before that on Monday 11 April it is the residents' tea party at the Hall.  I shall post this next week.  

HERTFORD COLLEGE JONNN DONNE DINNER: 18 MARCH

One of Oxford's archetypal views, the Bridge of Sighs that links the college buildings together. 

On Friday Willian Charnley, the Junior Warden, and I were guests of Hertford College for their John Donne Dinner.  Past Master Sir Nicholas Jackson Bt who is also an Honorary Fellow of the college was also present.  The dinner commemorates John Donne, the poet and much else, who was a student at Hart Hall, a predecessor of Hertford College between the ages of 11 and 14.

John Donne seemingly depicted in one of his less metaphysical and rather more sensuous moods. 

The dinner was preceded by a talk in the chapel on John Donne's The Good-Morrow.  We were taken through an explanation that was entirely in keeping with the metaphysical nature of the poem and the poet.  Also in the spirit of early seventeenth century enquiry and curiosity we were exposed to a huge number of references and influences contained in the poem.

Our minds having been given a thorough refreshment we went on to an excellent dinner.  It was amongst other things part of the farewell for Dr John Landers who is standing down as Principal.  He was one of our guests at the Education Dinner the previous evening.  In my talk I noted his departure with regret as he has helped sustain our links with the college most effectively.

Our links with Hertford go back over a century and date from the time when Past Master The Reverend Henry Boyd was Principal.  This was a post he held for forty five years from 1877 to 1922.  Today we support a Drapers' Company Research Fellow at the college, although currently because of an early departure of the last incumbent to study elsewhere, the post is vacant.

John Donne led a quite extraordinary life.  He managed to spend a significant amount of money on good living, travelled widely, went to prison and generally pursued a most precarious life.  He was a member of parliament and despite being a Catholic held various positions in the Church of England, eventually rising to be Dean of St Pauls. In addition, of course, he produced some of the most interesting and memorable poetry and prose in the English language.

HALL CONCERTS 2011: SECOND CONCERT 8 MARCH

On 8 March it was the turn of the Royal Academy of Music to provide the musicians for our second concert in the 2011 series.  Past Master Sir Nicholas Jackson Bt had organised a most interesting programme with the Academy.

This included two harp pieces, Claude Debussy's Danse sacree et Danse profane and Maurice Ravel's Introduction and allegro.  Nicholas reminded the audience that these two pieces had been commissioned by major harp makers in the first decade of the last century to display the versatility of this instrument to best effect.  Akiko Awaki played the Debussy and Elen Hydref the Ravel.  Both performances brought out both the opulence and the slight sadness of the pieces in most interesting ways. 

One can possibly read too much of the fin de siecle element into Debussy and Ravel's music at this time, especially when played on a harp and other string instruments. We know in hindsight that within a few years the life of Europe had brutally changed and it was never the same again.  Be that as it mwy, what we did hear was two most poignant and limpid performances.

A nice piece of symmetry was the Livery Hall decor dates from the period of the music and somehow the marble, gilt and general decoration of the room matched the harp and supporting instruments.

In complete contrast Reinis Zarins took us through Liszt's Nuage Gris and Etude No 8 in C Minor, Chopin's Ballade No 4 in F minor, WildeJagd and Ravel's Miroirs: Alborada del gracioso.  A friend of mine once remarked that Liszt piano pieces where 'there to be played.'  The same applies to Chopin and Ravel.  Reinis did not disappoint and gave a great series of performances combining energy with panache.

Finally Reinis and the Tyburn String Quartet gave a beautifully realised performance of Brahms Piano quintet in F minor, Op 34.

Yet another great evening where a group of young and hugely talented musicians performed to a sell-out and very appreciative audience.

The final concert is on Wednesday 4 May and will feature musicians from the Guildhall School of Music.

DRAPERS' CITY FOYER, WEAVERS' FIELDS BETHNAL GREEN: VISIT 17 FEBRUARY

Drapers' City Foyer is a converted former London School Board building.  It is typical of a large number of distinctive schools built across Inner London in the late nineteenth century under the guidance of Edward Robson, the Boards's chief architect.

On Wednesday 17 February Sir Nicholas Jackson, Sir Michael Craig-Cooper, Anthony Walker and myself paid a visit to Drapers' City Foyer.

In the late nineties the Company teamed up with Providence Row a major housing and homelessness charity in East London, especially in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, to refurbish a former London School Board building to create a foyer of forty-one units.  Because of the Company's contribution to the initial construction costs it is called Drapers' City Foyer.  Today the foyer is run by East Potential, an economic and social regeneration charity, on behalf of Providence Row.  For more details go to http://www.prha.net and http://www.east-potential.org.uk/ and go to Drapers' City Foyer

Drapers' City Foyer is designed to provide temporary accommodation for young people who are homeless and in need of support.  The pressing need is to provide shelter and food but equally importantly a foyer can access a whole range of support and advice to give an individual the opportunity to improve their life chances and help them overcome personal problems.

The Foyer is doing well. Last year it successfully supported twenty-eight individuals find new opportunities and who have now left the Foyer.  East Potential want to do more.  They have some interesting ideas such as making more use of the ground floor spaces to provide training opportunities for non-residents.  Also Providence Row has agreed that Flavour Gateway, an innovative catering training and commercial operation, can establish a training cafe, the Cafe Relax, in the building.

Cafe Relax is in a really unusual space, the decor is stunning - I shall try and get some photographs - and there's a great menu that is really good value.  It will be opening shortly, go along for a meal.  For more details go to: http://www.flavourgateway.com/

HALL CONCERT SERIES 2011: 9 FEBRUARY

The last three blogs have dealt with musical matters and it is most appropriate to end the series with a report on a concert at the Hall.

For some years Past Master Sir Nicholas Jackson Bt has organised three spring concerts at the Hall.  The intention is to provide an opportunity for the Royal Academy of Music, Royal College of Music, the Guildhall School of Music and Drama and, on occasion the Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance, to showcase their talent at the Hall.  Many of the performers also hold Drapers' Music scholarships.  These include the five bursaries awarded annually by the Baroness de Turckheim scheme to outstanding British vocal students at each of the four London conservatoires and the Royal Northern College of Music.

On 9 February the Royal College of Music provided the musicians and a singer.  They were a most impressive line up. 

Ilya Movchan on violin gave a totally committed performance of Brahms Violin sonata no 1 in G major and the very challenging Ravel violin sonata, also in G major.  He played with such energy it kept us clinging on  by our metaphorical fingertips.  Yulia Vorontsova gave a most intelligent rendering of Debussy's Suite Bergamesque which was followed by a committed and passionate performance of Liszt's Venezia and Napoli. 

Martha Jones, one of this year's de Turckheim Scholars and a most impressive young Motzartian, was a most convincing Cherubino.  She gave a sparkling performance of Voi che sapete from act two of the Marriage of Figaro and was beautifully supported on the piano by Belinda Jones.

After the performance Martha told me a great anecdote about a recent outdoor, lakeside performance of Cosi fan tutte in France where she was singing the part of Dorabella.  In that poignant part of the First Act where Dorabella and Fiordiligi say farewell to their lovers Ferrando and Guglielmo, who are supposedly setting of for military service overseas, they sing with their tormentor, Don Alfonso, Soave sia vento - 'May the wind be gentle.' 

In this performance Ferrando and Gugliemo's departure was for real and they stepped into a boat moored in the lake and set sail.  In the middle of this touching little scene Ferrando fell out of the boat into the lake in the full view of all.  She said keeping a straight face while the audience collapsed laughing while a very splashy rescue operation got underway was an immense challenge.  Luckily Ferrando and Guglielmo spend the next chunk of the opera disguised as Albanians but when they had to change back for the final scene Ferrando rather squelched around the stage in his sodden costume with his companions trying hard not to corpse.

We were delighted that Professor Colin Lawson, Principal, and Vanessa Latarche, Head of Keyboard Studies, were present to watch the most impressive performances of their students.

The next concert at the Hall is on 8 March.  If you are a member of the Company and haven't booked why not come along? It will be a great evening.

LANDSCAPE, FLOWERS AND PALACES EXHIBITION 5-9 OCTOBER

Rosemary, Nadia Jackson, wife of Past Master Sir Nicholas Jackson Bt, and Lady Virginia Fitzroy are putting on an exhibition next week at 54, The Gallery, Shepherd Market - gallery details at www.richardhoare.com/Gallery.html    

Although their artstic styles are very different they are complementary and I think every picture would fit, however broadly, into one of the categories of the exhibition's title.

If you are around Mayfair next week do drop in.  Opening times are Tuesday 5th October 11am - 6pm, Wednesday 6th October - Saturday 9 October 11am - 7pm.

Examples of Rosemary's work can be found on http://www.rosemaryfarrer.com/