Lady Masters' Party for a Consort
28th July 2026City of London Club
Lady Masters and the City of London Club ...
The City of London Club in Old Broad Street was founded in 1832 by a group of bankers, merchants and shipowners. Like so many institutions of its era, it began life as a traditional gentlemen's club, but one hundred and eighty years later in 2011 it began admitting women as members.
Today, around a quarter of the 114 serving Masters of the City of London's Livery Companies are women. The exact figure fluctuates as installations take place throughout the year, but it is a striking reflection of how much has changed since 1832.
All Masters are generously offered complimentary membership of the City of London Club during their year of office, and many accept. As a result, the Club has become something of a Livery meeting place, complementing the City Livery Club at Bell Wharf Lane near Southwark Bridge, and providing another welcoming venue in which we can meet, shower and change before events, stay overnight and hold occasional gatherings.
This August, Master Architect Chris and his Consort Sara are getting married in St Lawrence Jewry, at the very end of their year in office, and every Master has been invited. So a group of Lady Masters decided it was time for a congratulatory lunch for Consort Sara — and where better to hold it than in the comfortable courtyard outside Churchill's Bar amongst the Club's rooftops!
The Club's founders could almost be heard turning in their graves as nearly a dozen Lady Masters - sadly not everyone could make it - arrived at the venerable Club from various offices and railway stations around the City to enjoy salads, sandwiches and fizz before presenting Sara with a beautiful bouquet and wishing her and Chris every happiness.
Despite our best efforts, however, she remained resolutely tight-lipped about The Dress!