Society of Merchant Venturers' Spring Banquet
16th May 2025Merchants' Hall, Bristol
Having fought our way down the M5 on a Friday afternoon from Sheffield, we arrived at the Avon Gorge Hotel, booked for us all by the Society of Merchant Venturers, who are based around the corner in Clifton, next to the Downs. Fortunately the weather was fine and we had a spectacular view of the Clifton Suspension Bridge from the Hotel Bar.
Having met up with other London and Provincial Masters (some of whom we had seen the previous night in Sheffield), we were bussed by the Merchant Venturers to the Merchants' Hall, where were treated to a fine evening's entertainment in their wonderful hall - excellent food, good company (I sat next to Sir David Wills, of the Imperial Tobacco Wills family) and some very fine singing by students from the Bristol Old Vic company.
We also had some very interesting conversations with the Venturers. They have had to deal with the continued fallout of the history of their involvement in the slave trade, in the same way that we are having to deal with our tobacco legacy. The Merchant Venturers have been very open about their past and what they do now and it seems to be having the desired effect, with very little pushback so far! Maybe some lessons for us?
We also took the opportunity the next morning to drive through Bristol and past Imperial's head office in Winterstoke Road - very different now compared to when I was installing equipment in the old Imperial cigar factory!