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The Master’s Year

On a positive charitable note, having recently attended a meeting of the Trustees, I would like to
thank them all for the work they put in to ensure that, not only can we continue our giving, but do it
in a way that keeps us on the right side of Charities law!
In terms of the direction in which the Company is headed the current Senior and Middle Wardens
have a joint plan for continuing to develop the Company and raise its profile, and the Senior Warden
expanded on this when he made his address at our Common Hall in September.
And now the View from the Mistress

Whilst many of the events that I have attended have been with the Master there
have been a number to which I received an individual invitation. One of the first
was an informal lunch with the Lady Mayoress in Mansion House which I
attended along with 10 other Mistresses and Consorts. It was a wonderful
opportunity to get to know people and have a wide ranging discussion about City
and charitable topics. We also had a brief tour of the Mayoral apartments and
viewed their large and impressive collection of silverware.
I was also invited, along with about a dozen others, to lunch in the Old Bailey which was hosted by
Stephen Rigden, our very own Sheriff’s Consort. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to sit in on one of the
cases after lunch as I had to return to Glasgow.
Later in the year, prior to Ironbridge, I attended a supper in the Guildhall Club with the Lady Mayoress
and other consorts. I found this particularly helpful when we got to Ironbridge as I already knew
some of the people quite well. One of the consorts made a very amusing speech which made us all
chuckle – it was Stephen Rigden!
Another highlight was the charity fashion show in the Old Bailey – amazing clothes in an amazing
setting.
Although not a Livery event Graeme and I had an excellent evening in the Old Bailey at “Even More
Trial and Error”, a re-enactment of notable trials from the past in Court Number 1. The driving force
behind this was Judge Peter Rook and the good news, which he announced at the Sir Christopher
Wren Banquet, is that more are planned for next year. I can commend them to you.
I have found being Mistress Constructor a great privilege – it has been interesting, entertaining and
rewarding, and I have made many new friends.

THE MASTER’S WEEKEND

This year’s Master’s Weekend was held in Edinburgh towards the end of May. The Master chose
Edinburgh because, whilst he is a Scot who has lived in Glasgow for many years, he felt that
Edinburgh would be an ideal location for his weekend away and because we had previously visited
Glasgow on a Master’s Weekend not that long ago. Thus we visited not only another country but
also enjoyed a splendid weekend and experienced our wide and convivial fellowship in Scotland. The
spectrum of attendance was also very considerable – Companions, Past Masters, Wardens, Court
Assistants as well as many Liverymen and Freemen, many with their spouse/partner. Most of them
stayed in the Malmaison Hotel in Leith and wined and dined to the full. Our members also travelled
to Edinburgh by various means – some by car, some by train and quite a few by air.

6 | Autumn 2016 | The Journal of the Worshipful Company of Constructors