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Lining up in the Guildhall Crypts
Breakfast and Church Service before Common Hall
29th October 2026Carpenters' Hall and St Lawrence Jewry
Off to Carpenters' Hall for a Masters' breakfast at 0830, courtesy of Mark Groves and his team at The Cook & The Butler. I was a little early so sneaked in by the side door, together with a couple of stray Masters who were wandering about outside.
A lovely buffet, enhanced by a corgi dog snuffling under the tables for dropped treasure, and a chance to sit down and meet a few new Masters and Clerks, before rushing off to the Guildhall Crypts to robe in time for the Masters' Procession to St Lawrence Jewry.
Our stations are marked out in the Crypts by our order of precedence, and the Guildlhall team are incredibly experienced at hustling us all into line, in reverse order. While not all Masters take part in the church service procession, the majority do turn up and by now we all know our immediate companions extremely well. The Tobacco Pipe Makers (82) stand in front of the Air Pilots (81) and behind the Furniture Makers (83), before we get marshalled into a crocodile of pairs and set off across Guildhall Yard in the sunshine.
We parade into the beautiful church of St Lawrence Jewry at the South Door and peel off into our pews, followed by the Judicial procession including Past Master Fiona Adler, who is now Honorary Secondary at the Old Bailey; then the Aldermen with their Ward Beadles, including Liveryman Biagio Fraulo who serves as Ward Beadle to the Bread Street Ward. Finally the Civic procession enters the chuch, with the Lady Mayor bringing up the rear together with her Ward Beadle.
It's a short form service, but the organ playing is glorious and the hymns are uplifting. The service ends with a full-throated rendition of William Parry's "Jerusalem", with the words of the beautiful poem by William Blake, before we process out once again, this time with the Lady Mayor at the front of the procession and the Masters in correct order now bringing up the rear.
Back across Guildhall Yard to line up in the Guildhall corridor, where we turn about face to return to reverse order, ready to process into the Guildhall for Common Hall.
It's an interesting dance, but we're familiar with it now!