Magical Taxi Tour to Disneyland Paris with the WCO Hackney Carriage Drivers
25th September 2026The Pelligon, Canary Wharf
04.45 and up before the sparrows at the Premier Inn in Westferry.
I struggled blearily down from the 26th floor to meet the Master Chartered Tax Accountant and Consort, the Master Gold & Silver Wyre Drawer, and the Immediate Past Master Architect with Mrs IPM Architect. We set off into the darkness, following a confusion of Google Maps and Apple Maps, in search of the distant and rather curiously named The Pelligon at Canary Wharf.
Eventually I took charge (!) and fifteen minutes later we passed two enormous dockyard cranes looming out of the darkness like something from The War of the Worlds – probably built by Stothert and Pitt in Bath a hundred years ago - and rounded a corner. And there they were: rows and rows of Hackney carriages, decorated with Disney toys and Magical Taxi Tour decals, and hundreds of excited children, mums, dads, carers and volunteers flooding into an enormous event space all set up for a huge buffet breakfast.
We loaded our plates with the full English and found our tables, where I was joined by Renter Warden Terry Fenner-Leitao, whose office is – quite literally – next door.
The Mayoral party arrived, followed by the Sheriffs, and I found myself seated between Sheriff Keith Bottomley and his Consort, Kevin, who was sporting a wonderful black sparkly jacket. Both were wearing Mickey Mouse ears and clearly having a great time. The Lady Mayor, in full robes, had dressed her tricorn hat with Minnie Mouse ears, and even Gary, her Consort, was (rather reluctantly) sporting his own set of Mickey ears. Past Master Fiona Adler, Honorary Secondary at the Old Bailey, looked particularly glamorous in a beautiful red dress – and, yes, mouse ears!
A band played, the children were having food and fun, the Master Hackney Carriage Driver welcomed the Lady Mayor, and the Lady Mayor spoke to the children. Eventually it was time to go outside and find the taxi we had sponsored, and the lovely family from Littlehampton who would be setting off in it for a magical weekend at Disneyland Paris. The wonderful driver told us that she had driven "our" taxi to Disneyland just a few years ago - the first year she had taken part!
It was a fantastic scene. The 93 taxis set off line astern with their horns blaring, the British police were very definitely in charge, the French motobike gendarmes revved their engines and sounded their very French horns, and the whole entourage was followed by a noisy phalanx of support vehicles, ambulances and food trucks.
We were all waving and cheering, the band was still playing, office workers were beginning to arrive – and it still wasn’t light!
An extraordinary, uplifting and emotional way to start the day. It made the dreaded 04.45 alarm call entirely worthwhile.
A couple of hours later, I dragged my trusty suitcase along to the Canary Wharf Pier to board the taxi ferry to London Bridge where I was catching the 1107 train to Edenbridge to stay with famiy. Tomorrow we will be driving to Chelmsford for the Master Poulter's visit to a turkey farm, and it's closer than going home to Bath ...