Page 7 - A4 Journal 2022

The Master’s Year

The Master’s Weekend

With there being no Master’s Weekend in 2021 it was a delight that the Master managed to organise one in
Tunbridge Wells in 2022. The weekend was held on the last weekend of May, just a week before HM Queen
th
Elizabeth II celebrated the 70 Anniversary of her accession to the throne. It was well attended and was
enjoyed by all.

Sadly, the Clerk was unable to attend, so he deputed his duties to Honorary Freeman Tim Nicholson, his
predecessor, who executed his duties with meticulous attention to detail throughout the weekend. Our
thanks as ever must go to Tim for making sure we were always where we should be, despite the tendency of
a few of us seeking to do our own thing.

Those attending arrived at the appointed hotel on the Friday afternoon in preparation for a walking tour
round the Pantiles led by the Mistress prior to an informal dinner in the hotel, with the usual hardy stalwarts
retiring to the hotel bar on completion.

Saturday morning dawned bright and clear. Following a splendid buffet style breakfast the company
assembled in the foyer for a guided tour round the adjacent King Charles the Martyr Church, and then a
coach trip to Sissinghurst Castle. It was a glorious ride through the Kent countryside to these marvellous
National Trust gardens
which we wandered
through at leisure,
some of us taking the
opportunity to eat
lunch in the restaurant
before exploring the
Gardens further, or
taking a walk to the
lake.
After lunch we re-joined the coach for the return journey to the hotel and did our own thing for the afternoon
- some taking a rest and others taking the opportunity for some retail therapy in Tunbridge Wells.
In the evening we again took the coach, but this time to Bewl Water where we enjoyed a splendid blacktie
dinner with wines in the Boat House. Suitably refreshed we boarded the coach for the return journey to the
hotel, where the hardy annuals amongst us partook of a stirrup cup.

On Sunday we attended morning service in King Charles the Martyr Church which was built in 1676, when
Tunbridge Wells had few permanent structures. At that time it was a chapel of ease and served the parishes
of Frant, Speldhurst and Tonbridge. The church had no resident vicar until 1709. As Tunbridge Wells
expanded, so did the church and after new parishes were created for the expanding town, the position of the
chapel became an anomaly and it eventually became a parish church with an unusually small parochial area
in 1889. The Master and Wardens of the Company were pleased to make a donation to the Church’s fabric
fund.
The Master’s weekend has now become a tradition within the Company, and many members commented on
the missing year. It is a marvellous occasion, allowing members and, if they choose, their wives/husbands/
partners to meet up and join in the camaraderie that is key to a livery company. Whilst many members take
part in the Master’s Weekend each year it is by no means an exclusive party, but it does afford all the
opportunity to visit a different location each year, joining in both the “organised events” and having some
time to themselves.

New members and those who have not attended before are always welcome to attend and can be assured of
a warm welcome.

Autumn 2022 | The Journal of the Worshipful Company of Constructors | Page 7