The Unique History of London Livery Companies

Livery companies are a wonderful part of London history that still continues to this day. Liveries are later manifestations of the early guild system, where craftsman and traders would organize and agree on certain work and product standards. In pre-Norman times groups and agreements were informal, but as commerce grew and the need to standardize became important, more formal institutions were created.

The benefits of these institutions were for both the craftsman and the citizens. Cooperation and standards meant that low-priced, sub-standard products were not sold to unsuspecting customers. This assures that a quality standard was maintained and that the reputation of the guild stayed intact. It also meant that each person could earn a living wage without fear of being undercut on price.

The first guilds and organizations grew from the very living conditions of the City of London. Craftsman and traders tended to live in close proximity and certain neighborhoods became associated with certain goods and services. There are still reminders of this as one can obviously imagine what goods were sold on Bread Street or Ironmonger Lane, both of which still exist in the City today.

It was in 1155 that the weavers were granted a royal charter by Henry II, formally recognized as The Weavers' Company. This recognition allowed the livery to legally impose rules and standards. If work in a certain industry was found to be wanting, the craftsman could be compelled to bring it up to standard or risk fines, expulsion or being barred from working and selling goods. The livery companies also provided some of the first social welfare by providing for the families of sick workers and providing pensions and taking care of burial fees.

Livery ceremonies are replete with history and pageantry. The leaders and officers wear distinctive dress and regalia and this is thought to be the origin of the term Livery Company. These robes and dress clothes are still part of the ceremonies that go on today. And although many associate livery companies with a bygone age, they are still alive and well in this century. Currently there are 108 livery companies. The latest to gain livery charter is The Worshipful Company of Security Professionals which was recognized in 2008.

The year 1515 is an historic one for livery firms as this is the date The Lord Mayor drew up the list of the Great Twelve. This list was developed to settle disputes and claims of the most prominent liveries. The Lord Mayor created his list based on wealth, however to this day a dispute still reigns. The Merchant Tailor's and Skinners still exchange annually their places at spot six and seven on the list of the Great Twelve.

One of the more visible aspects of London livery companies are their guild halls. In the City there are 38 halls dating from the 17th century with many having survived the Great Fire and the bombings of World War II. The most modern, the Haberdashers Hall was completed in 2002, while the Apothecaries' Hall (located at Black friars) is the oldest. While these are private buildings, there are opportunities to see the interiors. The City of London festival often holds events in many of the halls and some do hold occasion exhibits.

For everything you need for your occasion in London, Event Caterers, to Livery Hall Hire, check out Life's Kitchen.

View the original article here

How London Won the Race to Host the 2012 Olympics

The submission deadline for the 2012 Olympics was on 15 July of 2003 and by this date, there were nine cities which had submitted their bids to host the 2012 Olympics. The nine cities included London, Leipzig, Istanbul, Madrid, Paris, Havana, Moscow as well as New York City.

A scored technical evaluation was carried out by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) on 18 May 2004. Out of this evaluation; the number of cities was reduced to five: London, Moscow, Paris, Madrid, and New York. After this, the five cities were requested to submit their candidate files by 19 November 2004 and the International Olympic Committee visited each city during the months of February and March to carry out thorough inspection. During the inspection visit by the IOC inspection team, Paris was found to have two main drawbacks: a report came out that one of the important members of the Paris bid team was going to face corruption charges related to party political finances and there were several demonstrations and strikes that coincided with the visits.

Despite of the drawbacks that Paris was facing, the IOC released a report of the evaluation on 6 June 2005 that shown that it was the city which was most considered to be the most positive, followed closely by London. What raised many people's eyebrows was the fact that the report had no rankings or scores to show why cities were considered. Madrid and New York also received positive evaluation reports.

The appointment of Sebastian Coe as a new head of London 2012 brought a lot of improvements in the score of London against Paris. There were some reports that stated to emerge in late August 2004 that predicted a Paris London tie in the 2012 bid for the Olympics games. A neck-and-neck race between Paris and London was seen to increase in the final run to 117th IOC session. The prediction of which city between London and Paris will win was not easy and even Jacques Roggie was unable to tell when asked on 1 July 2005.

At the 117th IOC session on 6 July 2005 the final selection was announced where the first city to be eliminated was Moscow followed by New York and Madrid. London and Paris were the only two cities that were left in contention. London won to host the 2012 Olympic Games on the fourth round of voting with 54 votes while Paris was defeated with 50 votes. This brought about celebrations in London for winning but these celebrations did not last for long due to the terrorists attacks on London's transport system that occurred less than 24 hours after the 2012 Olympic Game victory was announced.

For somewhere cheap to stay in London try one of the Kensington Hotels like Kensington West, which is one of the more affordable Hotels Near Royal Albert Hall.

View the original article here

What to Know About the Livery Companies of the City of London

Today's 108 livery companies of the City have direct origins to the informal gatherings of early craftsmen and traders. These groups met socially and to come to terms with certain rules and standards within their craft. The agreements set policies for everything from pricing and weights and measures to quality standards and manufacturing processes. The group enforced these policies to ensure the reputation of the guild as a whole against sub-standard products and assure that craftsmen could earn a decent wage without fear of being undercut on price. This improved goods and acted as one of the first consumer protection organizations.

Guilds were certainly not unique to the City of London as tradesmen all over Europe often came together to settle disputes among members. As the guild organization and hierarchy formed, they looked to the Crown for recognition and Charter. The first company granted this privilege was The Weavers' Company in 1155 by Henry II.

The Royal Charter along with solid and exacting business practices of the guilds helped livery companies flourish. Members whose work were of consistently poor quality or found guilty of selling underweight goods were fined. Repeat offenders would be barred from practicing their craft, endangering their very livelihood. On the other hand the guild also provided support for members who could no longer work due to illness or infirmity and often provided for proper burials.

Originally livery was a term that defined the supplies household employees needed to live, such as dress, food and drink. The term eventually morphed to refer only to the specific clothing. The link with the guilds came about as members began wearing and then requiring that certain dress, robes and insignias be worn during ceremonies and affairs. This is how the term "livery companies" came to be applied to the guilds. Insignias and other regalia are still used in ceremonies today.

Of the current livery companies, The Worshipful Company of Security Professionals is the mostly recently charted, joining the list in 2008. The year 1515 looms large in the history of the livery companies. At that time there were 48 companies and there were many disputes on the order of prominence. Some guilds had split while other merged. The Lord Mayor of the time was called upon to establish an official order of prominence, basing the list on wealth. The first twelve liveries are known as "The Great Twelve," however the order is still in dispute even after all these years. The Merchant Taylors (tailors) and Skinners (fur traders) have had a long running dispute that has resulted in their places at spot six and seven be exchanged every year at Easter.

The City's livery companies maintain magnificent guild halls and there are 38 located in the actual City of London. The most recently built, the Haberdashers Hall, was completed in 2002. Many date to the 17th century. Many of the oldest were damaged in the Great Fire of 1666 and in the bombings in WWII. Most livery halls offer occasional public tours and a few hold exhibits and events. Another opportunity to see a livery hall is during the City of London Festival held each summer. The festival uses many of the halls for events and often part of organized architectural and historic tours.

Livery Halls make impressive venues for weddings, parties and indeed any type of event. Life's Kitchen specializes in Livery Hall hire and bespoke catering in London.

View the original article here

Commuter Travel Price Hikes in London

View the original article here