Tobacco Pipe Makers' flock ready
Master Fanmaker

The Woolmen's Annual Sheep Drive for Freemen of the City of London

27th September 2026

Southwark Bridge

There are not many occasions when Freemen of the City of London can exercise their ancient right to drive sheep across London Bridge – so when the opportunity arises, you have to seize it.

This year, ten members of the Company, joined by friends and family, took part in the annual Sheep Drive across Southwark Bridge (London Bridge is no longer available), organised by the Worshipful Company of Woolmen each year as an incredibly successful charity fund-raiser for The Woolmen Charity and The Lord Mayor’s Appeal. Our little flock of Pipe Makers had travelled from as far afield as Harrogate in Yorkshire and Langford in Somerset to mingle with the crowds and enjoy a rural day out in the City. Tweeds and red trousers were much in evidence, together with shepherd's crooks of varying authenticity, including two in our own party.

Gloria Hunniford and the Lady Mayor had already opened the show by the time Simon and I arrived, so we went along to the City Livery Club to sit outside in the sunshine and watch the passing traffic - people as well as boats. I eventually climbed into my Master's robe and badge - hot and heavy in the warm sunshine - and we joined the crowds milling around on Southwark Bridge, spotting many other similarly gowned and be-hatted Masters shepherding their own small flocks of Company members about.

A Freeman should never be expected to exercise an ancient right on an empty stomach and so - avoiding the stall selling the famous lamb burgers - we walked across to the south side of the Thames and along the Thames Path to the atmospheric Mug House, beneath London Bridge, where several members of the Company and their families joined us for lunch. Afterwards we made our way back to Southwark Bridge through the crowds of tourists, passing Sir Francis Drake's Golden Hind on the way - and remembering that he must have enjoyed a few early pipes of tobacco on board - to register and explore the Livery Fair.

The fair was a lively gathering of Livery Companies, craftspeople and food producers, and I couldn't resist visiting the Bakers’ Company's famous stall, where I purchased a "Master’s Bag" of delicious bread and cakes. The Turners' Company were enthusiastically demonstrating their craft on another stand, and several other Companies had wonderful stalls and displays. The Immediate Past Master Woolman, Manny Cohen, told me that this was the busiest the event has ever been since the Company first revived the tradition in 2013!

Our turn to walk came at 3.30pm. It was a little chaotic, but eventually we were marshalled into place by the Guild of Young Freemen and, with the Thames flowing below and the City skyline all around, our party prepared to do what Freemen of the City have been entitled to do for hundreds of years: drive sheep across the bridge.

The little flock was remarkably well behaved. Docile, well trained and clearly accustomed to this strange annual ritual, they moved steadily and unconcernedly across the bridge under the charge of three experienced handlers, with only the occasional lapse in good manners and a few sheepish indiscretions along the way. Our party successfully completed the journey from north to south with many photos taken.

There was something wonderfully incongruous about it all. Here we were, in the heart of the modern City of London, surrounded by skyscrapers and thousands of spectators, exercising a centuries-old right to drive sheep across the Thames. It is exactly the sort of tradition that makes the City of London such a wonderful place.

It was a gloriously eccentric day, and a wonderful reminder that, beneath all the robes, ceremonies and grand Livery traditions, there is still plenty of room for a little bit of fun – and the occasional sheep, although mint sauce is not required today.