Master’s message September 2025

Hello fellow Coachmakers!

Here goes my first Master’s message of the year.

The Election Court took place, as our charter requires, on 1st September. Traditionally, we hold the Court meeting and dinner at Tallow Chandlers, and the service of Thanksgiving at St. James Garlickhythe, but this year Tallows was closed for refurbishment. So, we held the meeting in the church, and enjoyed a glass or two of Nyetimber, followed by a buffet supper as well. I really enjoyed the occasion, as did my family, and the feedback I have had suggests other attendees did too.

As I near the end of my first month as Master of your Livery, I would like to mention a couple of subjects I want to address throughout this year.

I see this year as one of preparation for our big anniversary next year, when we achieve 350 years since we received our Charter from King Charles II in 1677. Whilst I am determined we will have a fun and productive year, we need to keep a close eye on preparing the ground for our 350th.

One of the biggest issues we face, as do many other Livery Companies, is the cost of dinners and the negative effect this is having on attendance, and therefore our finances. Our new Renter Warden, Bill Dastur, produced an insightful paper at the request of IPM Steve Fitz-Gerald examining the causes of the problem and is starting to explore ways of addressing them. The year’s dinners will, as always, be held in some of the grandest Livery Halls in the City, with some interesting and entertaining speakers, as well as providing opportunities to socialise with fellow Liverymen and guests. The industry dinners will, as usual, be where our awards are made to some of the brightest and best young people in our associated industries. They are the core of the Livery.

A couple of easy first steps are as follows; we will shortly publish the dates and locations of all our Livery dinners for the year, together with details of guest speakers, and the cost. Also, for those who would like to book ahead, which I would encourage, you can do so once dates are announced but payment will not be taken until close to the event.

I will return to this throughout the year, but I want to remind every Coachmaker that when we were sworn to the Livery, the Master reminded us “The oath you have just taken dates from 1677 when the company was granted its charter, but the obligations which you have entered into are as binding on you today as those on those who were admitted to the Company in the reign of Charles II. The commitment you have just made is that you will support the activities of the Company both charitable and social, which includes regular attendance at livery functions.”

Of course I appreciate that attending is a costly affair, when travel and accommodation is factored in as well, but I would like to think that for most of us it would not be unreasonable to expect us to attend at least one dinner each year. This would greatly help the spirit of fellowship within the Company, make dinners more engaging and help our financial situation as well.

Until about 12 years ago, all fines levied when Freemen joined the Company were passed directly to the Charitable Fund. This has proved to be impossible in recent years, but I would love to get back to the situation where that might be possible again, even if only for a portion of them.

So, thank you for taking the time to read this, and hopefully the other excellent articles in Coachlines. I look forward to seeing you at one of our functions soon,

All the best

Richard Charlesworth MVO

Master