- Merchant Taylors

Design: The Frank Agency (www.thefrankagency.eu)
DIARY OF EVENTS 2015
number
The following is a list of future events which will be held during 2015.
Further details will be sent to you closer to the time or can be viewed on the Company
website www.merchant-taylors.co.uk
15th May
Membership Lunch
20 th May
Inter-Livery Shoot
27th May
Charity Gala Dinner
31st May
MTC v Broadhalfpenny Brigands CC Cricket Match
5th /6th June
Great 12 Sailing Challenge
7th June MTC v Skinners’ Company Cricket Match
16th June
Election Service and barbecue supper
24th June
Election of Sheriffs
7th July
Livery Dinner
9 July
Company Golf Day
th
15th July
Bindings & Admissions
28th September
Election of the Lord Mayor
21st October
Bindings & Admissions
6th November
Membership Lunch
7th November
Lord Mayor’s Show
10 th November
Livery Dinner and Military Affiliates Awards
16th December
Bindings & Admissions
16th December
Vernon’s Anniversary Service
17 December
Doctors’ Dinner
th
SPRING 2015
If you would like more information on any of the above please contact Kym Ash at
[email protected] or on 020 7450 4448
MERCHANT TAYLORS’ HALL, 30 THREADNEEDLE STREET, LONDON EC2R 8JB
THE MERCHANT TAYLORS’ COMPANY MAGAZINE
We want to help you
make your wedding
everything you want
2015 SPRING ISSUE
01 Message from the Master
03Comment
Clerk’s notes
04 Our History
The bookcase in the library
06Membership
New Liverymen
Staff
08Charities
Our charitable history
The Charities Committee
Cure Parkinson’s Trust
11Education
The Arkwright Scholarships
Education Seminar 2015
Associated schools photography
competition
14Schools
Merchant Taylors’ Primary School, Stanfield
Merchant Taylors’ School, Northwood
St John’s
Wallingford School
Front cover:
The front cover features the central
coat of arms from the Cloisters
fireplace. The fireplace bears the
date 1857, and the names of the
Master (John Bonus) and Wardens
in 1856-7. Above these names
are seven coats of arms, painted
on metal. This central shield is a
fine example of Victorian heraldic
painting, and larger than all the
others. It no doubt shows the
Master’s coat of arms.
20 Military Affiliates
The London Regiment
The Royal Yeomanry
24Events
28Obituary
30Sports
Please send in your contributions
(or feedback) for the next issue of Number 30, to:
number [email protected]
Our difference is that we know that planning for your big day
starts now and we will make your journey towards married life a
fun and a joyful one.
Our storybook is a fascinating one because every wedding we
create is precious and entirely its own.
Hold your wedding at the Hall in 2016 and receive
two complimentary glasses of champagne for all of your guests.
To find out how to take advantage of this offer, please speak with the team
on 020 7450 4445 or email [email protected]
MESSAGE FROM THE MASTER
MESSAGE FROM THE MASTER
The Master – Peter Watkins
T
he first half of my
Mastership has flown by,
and I already have the most
fabulous memories. Foremost
among them is the privilege
of meeting an extraordinary
number of people with a real
zest for life, most strikingly
this Christmas when about 400
of you attended the Vernon’s
Service. The singing and
atmosphere in St Michael’s
church were inspirational, as
was the marvellous catering
throughout the Hall afterwards.
That day is just one of the
many outstanding events
held at the Hall in the last six
months. The Ladies’ Night and
Military Awards Dinner on
the evening of Armistice Day
was very special for the 240
attending; we were humbled
by the achievements of the
military award winners, and
inspired by the speech given by
conductor Suzie Digby OBE, our
principal guest.
At Doctors’ Dinner we
welcomed representatives
from our schools (notably
their terrific head girls and
boys), guests from academia,
and the Great Twelve Masters
and Prime Wardens with their
Clerks. Another memorable
evening, thanks to an energetic
performance by the Oxford
Universities’ a capella group
Out of the Blue, and a thoughtprovoking speech from Jude
Kelly OBE, artistic director of
the South Bank Centre.
My wife Tessa and I were
delighted to host A Tribute to
Our Fallen, on 24th February,
an evening dedicated to the
memory of those from the
Company who lost their lives
in the Great War. This was
something we very much wanted
to do in my Mastership, and it
took a lot of enjoyable planning.
It was a very moving evening,
and quite unlike anything we’ve
ever done in the Hall. You can
read more about it on page 24.
The Catering Company
excelled that night, as they do
every time, with their tireless
work. The four day Diageo
event, featured in the last edition
of Number 30, showed us just
how much we are capable
of and what we can offer. It
made the Sheriffs’ Breakfast in
February look almost easy, with
250 guests, and on behalf of
our team I enjoyed accepting
the many compliments on our
venue and the quality of food.
And so it goes on! I was
delighted to welcome over 200
people over a range of ages
to the Quiz Night, which I
hope will be a regular event.
By the time you read this, the
Lord Mayor’s Dinner will have
seen 245 attend. And the Gala
Dinner is on Wednesday 27th
May at which we will be raising
money for the Cure Parkinson’s
Trust and our four Livery and
Freemen selected charities,
Skillforce, Westside School,
XLP and the sponsorship of our
student at Pembroke College
Cambridge.
01
COMMENT
The Triennial Service in St Paul’s Cathedral
FROM THE
CLERK’S DESK
I must also mention the
Triennial Service of Merchant
Taylors’ School Northwood,
which saw 2,500 guests join
the celebrations in St Paul’s
Cathedral in October. To mark
the 100th year since the start
of the Great War, pupils read
poems and letters home from
soldiers at the front, and Canon
Mark Oakley ended the service
with a powerful and moving
tribute to those from the school
who lost their lives in the war.
There are many other
occasions which were so
interesting and enjoyable but
there is not the space to record
them all here.
I have and will be visiting all
our schools and particularly
enjoyed the day with Merchant
Taylors’ Schools in Crosby,
where the standards are as high
as ever. The rebuild of Stanfield
02
Mixed Infants’ School at Crosby
has been a great success, and is
full of very happy small children.
On the military side I have
visited RNAS Yeovilton and
MCM2, the Minehunter
Squadron, and soon will be
visiting the Army Air Corps and
RAF Halton. All of our Military
Affiliates are remarkable and
our support is much appreciated
by them. At a lunch I recently
attended, the First Sea Lord and
Chief of the Naval Staff, Admiral
Sir George Zambellas was the
principal guest and he made a
great impression. I am delighted
to advise that he will be
receiving his Honorary Freedom
on 7th July and attending the
Livery Dinner that evening.
As I hope you remember,
my three themes for my
Mastership are Remembrance,
Present and Future. The first
has been acknowledged with
the commemorative concert
on page 24. The Present is
represented by contribution, and
I am seriously encouraged by
so many Members supporting
our events and giving both
time and money. And the
Future is in the hands of our
Members. The Admissions
Committee has reviewed its
processes and, seeing the quality
of those new Members joining
and Apprentices signing their
indentures, it is clear to me
that we are heading in the right
direction. Our membership
is broadly based, filled with
interesting and dynamic people.
Finally, thank you to all of
you, who have been so generous
to Tessa and me this year. I look
forward to seeing as many as
you as is possible during the rest
of my Mastership.
ith any luck this edition
will reach you as the
daffodils are reappearing!
Here at the Hall there are
certainly several green shoots,
but in some cases it has taken
many years for the fertiliser to
work! Everyone is delighted
that the almshouse project
has reached the end of its
preliminary stages, as the
charity has exchanged contracts
with the development partner,
and the handover of vacant
possession is imminent. This
will allow construction to start
both on the new almshouse
site, and on the site set aside
for the Section 106 element of
the project. The entire project
is valued at about £44m, the
new almshouses accounting for
about £8.5m of that. They will
be the first part of the project
to complete by 2018, with the
remaining new build homes
and the Merchant Taylors’
‘almshouse’ site modernisation
following along behind.
Covered in previous editions,
our IT revolution is progressing
well and starting to produce the
results required. I certainly feel
that I now know more about
IT than I ever thought I could!
Many of the Hall staff feel the
same, but we have all shared
the journey and learned much.
The website is being visited
more frequently and 175 of
you have already logged in to
the Members’ area, well done!
Gradually I’m sure this will
become the preferred means of
communication for us all.
Regarding ‘Education’, a
previous edition reported on
the new Education Committee,
and its still early work continues
to develop on several fronts.
One of these is the creation of
a new Education Trust Fund,
specifically created for general
education purposes and with
very broad objectives. The late
Mr Anthony Howitt provided
a tremendous kickstart to the
fund with a very generous
£100,000 donation. With this
green shoot, this fund will
aim to grow and provide the
Company with a refreshed
capability in this particular area.
I do have one or two concerns
among all the good news. One
is that from here it sometimes
seems hard to attract Members’
interest in the achievements
of the charities to which many
of you subscribe. The charities
officer tries to pay a visit to the
many organisations that have
applied for, or are in receipt
of, financial grants from the
Company. This is not just ‘due
diligence’, but also to get a feel for
the good being achieved. Every
now and then I have a chance
to join him (visits to XLP, and a
Skillforce project, most recently).
I do encourage you to take an
interest in this, because it is
always an eye-opener, and adds
to the satisfaction both for the
recipient and the giver.
Also, Freemen, please don’t
ignore or put off the possibility
of advancing on to the Livery.
If you are over 30 and have
been a Freeman for over two
years, please ask Kym Ash for
an application form for the
Livery. Interviews with the
Admissions Committee take
place annually, in March, and
admission on to the Livery
follows at the beginning of
July, immediately prior to the
summer Livery Dinner.
Rear Admiral Nick Harris
CB MBE
03
OUR HISTORY
OUR HISTORY
The wooden Company coat of arms on top of the bookcase
THE BOOKCASE IN THE DRAWING ROOM
T
he large mahogany
bookcase in the Drawing
Room was bought by the
Company at Sotheby’s on
13th April 1956, as part of the
campaign to refurnish the Hall
after war damage, which had
completely burnt out the former
Drawing Room along with its
contents.
The bookcase cost £300,
rather less than the £2,500 paid
by the Company the next year
at the same auctioneers for the
Chinese wallpaper now hanging
on the walls.
Sotheby’s described the
bookcase as “a fine large
Regency secretaire bookcase
in mahogany, the upper part
enclosed by three pairs of doors
with Gothic pattern tracery,
and glazed with Crown glass
[an early type of hand-blown
window glass], the centre
portion with a well-fitted
writing drawer enclosed by a
fall-front”.
The bookcase is so big that
it must surely have come from
a stately home. An inventory
of the Hall contents, now in
04
the Muniment Room, says that
it was supposed to have come
in 1920 from “Ickenham Hall,
Bury St Edmunds”. No such
house existed, though there is a
small (and unlikely) Ickenham
Hall in Hillingdon, Middlesex.
“Ickenham” probably means
Ickworth, the former seat of the
Hervey family outside Bury St
Edmunds, now owned by the
National Trust.
The Herveys were an
entertaining lot, at least from
a safe distance. The present
Ickworth was built by the
absurdly wealthy Frederick
Hervey, 4th Earl of Bristol,
known as ‘the Earl-Bishop’
because he was also Bishop of
Derry in Ulster. The National
Trust guidebook describes him
as “lively, odd and half-mad,
a bishop who did not go to
church, and rarely visited his
Irish see”. The Earl-Bishop spent
much of his time travelling in
Germany and Italy, indulging his
passion for art collecting.
His huge new house at
Ickworth was intended to
display his art collection, but
this was unfortunately seized
by Napoleon when the French
entered Rome in 1798. When
the Earl-Bishop died in 1803,
his coffin was shipped back to
Ickworth labelled as containing
an antique statue, so as not to
upset the crew.
The Herveys were promoted
to Marquesses of Bristol
in 1826. Later heads of the
family include Victor, the 6th
Marquess (d.1985), jailed for
three years for his part in a
jewellery robbery; and John,
the 7th Marquess (d.1999), who
squandered his fortune on cars,
parties, misguided business
ventures, alcohol and drugs, and
died aged 44.
The Herveys were not all
bad. The sale of the bookcase
in 1920 would fit well with the
careful restoration of the house
by Frederick William, the 4th
Marquess, a rear admiral and
amateur tree surgeon.
Stephen Freeth
Company Archivist
Pink dessert service by
Minton, 1873, displayed
in the bookcase
05
MEMBERSHIP
STAFF NEWS
Spanish to help her in her
adventures. She also enjoys
wakeboarding when the
weather allows!
NEW LIVERYMEN
Elected to the Livery at Court on 20th November 2014.
ZARA SHARPLES
Sales and Events Coordinator
18
06
Colonel Billy King-Harman
Mr Ian Ferres
Mr Edward Watkins
Billy joined the Company by
Redemption in 2014 and was
quickly promoted on to the
Livery. He recently retired as City
Marshal and programme manager
to the Lord Mayor of London.
His many interests include
ocean racing, skiing, cricket, golf,
shooting and photography, travel,
theatre and music. He lives in
Norfolk and London, is married
to Judy and has a stepson and
three grandchildren.
Ian is a retired chartered
accountant who worked for
the Haymills Group for many
years. The Group set up a
charitable trust in 1979, now
called the Dudley & Geoffrey Cox
Charitable Trust, and Ian has been
its secretary since 1982. He is now
making arrangements for the
Merchant Taylors to administer
the trust in the future to benefit
pupils from Merchant Taylors’
School, Northwood.
Edward joined the Company by
Patrimony in 2009. He is director
of music at the West London
Free School in Hammersmith
and is the founder of Inner
Voices, a London youth choir
which has performed for and
been supported by the Company.
The current Master, Peter
Watkins, is his father.
months ago Zara applied
for the role of property
and events assistant from her
home town in Lancaster, and
just two days after being offered
the job she moved to London.
Zara had previously been
working for an independent
holiday village for 18 months,
having completed her degree
in Hospitality and Event
Management at Lancaster
University.
After nine months in that role,
Zara was given the opportunity
to work with the events team full
time and is now our happy sales
and events coordinator.
Zara says there are so many
things she enjoys about the job,
such as working with a variety
of clients, both corporate and
private. She enjoys building
relationships with them from
their first enquiry to the day
of the event, and seeing their
dreams become reality.
“I love showing prospective
clients around the Hall,” she
adds. “I love to watch their faces,
seeing how impressed they
are with the history and the
character of each room.”
Zara enjoys travelling and
is currently learning to speak
CRAIG
SUMMERS
Chef de Partie
C
raig Summers has been
working in the Company
kitchen for seven years, where
his specialism is preparing the
desserts and cold starters. He
particular enjoys preparing the
traditional foods.
He started his career as an
apprentice in a Forte Hotel
in the Midlands, where he
gained his City & Guilds
qualification. He then worked
in several different restaurants
before moving to London and
Merchant Taylors’. He says he
hasn’t looked back since.
Craig says, “I’ve made so
many friends here, and I love
working with them. I really
appreciate the challenge of the
job, and no day is ever the same.
The days go past so fast!”
When he has a chance to be
out of the kitchen he enjoys
being with his wife and two
children. He also likes watching
football, playing video games
and spending time on his
computer.
FREEDOM BY
REDEMPTION
M
embership of the
Company is through one
of three routes into the Freedom:
either by Patrimony, Servitude
or Redemption. The first two are
most commonly used. Patrimony
requires the candidate to be
over 21, and that at least one
parent was Free of the Company
at the time of their birth.
Servitude is an ancient system of
‘Apprenticeship’ for young people
under the age of 26.
Freedom by Redemption
is for those who do not fit
into the first two categories,
but who the Company would
welcome among its ranks for the
individual’s particular qualities
which he or she would bring
into the Membership. Such a
candidate needs to be sponsored
by four Members of the
Company including the Master
or Immediate Past Master,
plus a Court member and two
others who know the applicant
well, whether Court, Livery or
a Freeman. The Membership is
very much encouraged to keep
an eye open for such worthy
individuals.
A ‘fine’ of £250 plus a
reasonable contribution as a first
donation to the Livery & Freemen
Fund, the exact donation to be
guided by sponsors, is payable
upon Admission to the Freedom
by Redemption.
07
CHARITIES
CHARITIES
Sir Thomas White
OUR CHARITABLE
HISTORY
T
hroughout its history,
charitable giving and the
furtherance of education have
been at the very heart of the
company’s activities. Without
fanfare, the Company strives
to achieve its benevolent aims,
which could not happen without
the support and contributions
of time and money by the
Membership.
The legacy of Sir Thomas
White looms large over the
Company’s philanthropic past.
He founded St John’s College,
Oxford, in 1555 and helped
to create Merchant Taylors’
School. He also established a
number of remarkable charitable
schemes in Coventry, the wider
midlands and the west country.
These provided such innovative
schemes as scholarships and
interest-free loans to students
and businesses, and were rare at
the time for being without any
religious context. A large number
of these charities, including the
loan charity, are still extant today.
It is important to remember
the link between the current
structures of the Company’s
charities and the generosity of
long-departed Members whose
gifts have sustained its charitable
activities over time. 34 smaller
legacies from Members dating
back as far as 1484 were
consolidated into three main
charities in the 1960s. The
08
CHARITIES NEWS
names and purposes of these
original legacies continue the
Company themes of relief
of poverty, infirmity and the
provision of shelter through
almshouses, which at one point
were adjacent to the Hall itself.
Today, charitable activity
is overseen by the Charities
Committee, which comprises
trustees and additional members
of the Court and the Livery.
The largest and most active
grant making trust is the
Consolidated Charities for
the Infirm, which funds work
in inner London, addressing
the needs and health of the
disabled and the elderly, urban
deprivation and basic needs, and
helps to identify opportunities
for people living in poverty in
inner London.
Over £400,000 is given each
year to a range of organisations
which have applied and met
the rigorous grant making
criteria. Grant making from the
Company Charities Fund is
restricted at present to up to four
charities nominated each year by
the Livery Committee, and the
annual charity of the Master.
The Livery and Freemen
Fund is a sub fund of the
Company Charities Fund,
though decisions on grant
making are made by the Livery
Committee and subject only
to ratification by the trustees.
The endowment was originally
established by a legacy of
£50,000 from Liveryman
Kenneth Crosthwaite in 2005.
Direct donations from the
Membership now go towards
building the endowment or
directly to the unrestricted fund.
Grant making reflects the views
of the Membership as faithfully
as possible. Contributions to the
LFF can be made online via the
Members’ area of the website,
where you can choose whether
to contribute to endowment or
revenue. The total ‘pot’ is growing
steadily towards an impressive
million pounds!
This time last year we reported
the generosity of Mr Howitt,
whose £100,000 bequest has kickstarted The Merchant Taylors’
Education Fund. This fund is
administered by the relatively
new Education Committee,
which is focused on addressing
wider educational needs outside
of the Company’s schools.
The generosity of Members
will guarantee that the
philanthropic traditions of
the Company will endure and
thereby continue its relevance
in the modern world. The
stewardship of the Company’s
charities means that both
regular and one-off donations –
however large or small – can be
applied in as reactive or strategic
way as possible.
Since the last edition of Number 30, the Charities Committee has made awards to a
number of organisations. A selection of these is presented here to highlight the breadth of
grant-making from the Consolidated Charities for the Infirm (CCI).
Age Exchange in Blackheath
were awarded £15,000 toward
their project ‘Delivering
Dignity in Dementia Care’,
which aims to give sufferers
and their carers opportunities
to spend quality and enriching
time together in interractions
called ‘shared respite’. With
professional person centred
care and focused positive
activities, the sessions provide
a stimulating environment in
which to develop friendships
and encourage new learning.
The tangible results are
increased levels of well
being, reduced feelings of
loneliness, improved cognitive
functioning, enjoyment of
creative and social activity and
the re-establishment of positive
relationships.
The CCI has given a £14,700
grant to the Inspired Directions
School (IDS) in Hackney, which
offers alternative provision
for high-needs learners aged
14-16 struggling to work well
within mainstream education.
Established by the charity
Inspire!, the school has been
providing alternative education
for young people in the area
since 2008 and recently achieved
independent school status. The
IDS intake is predominantly
made up of vulnerable
learners with highly complex
educational needs, including
those who have been excluded
from mainstream school or
Pupil Referral Units, students
with behavioural, social and
emotional needs and school
refusers. The grant will allow
the school to formalise and
extend its support for graduates
of the IDS programme with
the aim of increasing their
independence, resilience
and ability to cope in new
settings. In addition a cohort
of graduates will be trained
as teaching assistants and
peer-mentors that will, in time,
increase the support available to
other students.
The British School of
Osteopathy was awarded a
grant of £8,000 to support free
clinics for older and vulnerable
people within the Southwark
community. Through its links
with local sheltered housing in
Southwark, many people benefit
from sessions held in their
own homes. Free osteopathic
healthcare is also offered to
older people at the Blackfriars
Settlement community centre in
Southwark. The clinic was only
started in 2014 and is already
extremely popular.
The Community Sports
Coaching Foundation
approached the CCI in
October 2014 for support for
a collaboration with a special
needs school in Southwark to
provide ‘rebound therapy’ via a
customised trampoline which
is ingeniously sunk in to the
floor of the school hall. Cherry
Garden Special Needs School
in Southwark has approximately
45 pupils enrolled, all with a
range of severe disabilities. The
therapeutic use of trampolines
has become a valuable
technique for physiotherapists
working with children and
adults with physical and
learning disabilities. An
£8,000 grant from the CCI
is supporting a qualified
physiotherapist to deliver the
first sessions and for subsequent
staff training.
David Atkinson
Charities Officer
09
CHARITIES
EDUCATION
CURE PARKINSON’S TRUST:
PARKINSON’S MOVEMENT
T
he Company supports The
Cure Parkinson’s Trust
to make clinical trials more
effective in new and potentially
breakthrough studies.
The Cure Parkinson’s
Trust (CPT) is spearheading
a programme of trials to
accelerate new treatments
for this illness. Many of these
medications are existing
treatments being used for
other conditions and all of
them offer the prospect of
slowing, stopping or reversing
Parkinson’s.
One of the principal
problems experienced by
clinicians running these
studies is the lack of available
participants. Without people
with Parkinson’s, these exciting
initiatives simply do not happen
and prospects for patients with
Parkinson’s remain grim.
Parkinson’s Movement (PM),
was created by CPT to address
this issue. PM is run by people
living with Parkinson’s, who
explore the issues affecting
Tom Isaacs, himself
a Parkinson’s
sufferer, speaking
at the international
conference ‘Rallying
to the Challenge’
them both in everyday life,
but especially in relation to
clinical trials.
PM’s role is to educate and
engage other people living with
Parkinson’s so that they become
more active and involved in
both their own and the wider
Parkinson’s community. PM
is also intent on creating more
empathy and understanding
among those who conduct
clinical trials so that there is
better communication between
doctor and patient.
In a 300-person survey
of both participants and
clinicians involved in trials,
those questioned were asked
to list their top five barriers
to effective clinical trials in
Parkinson’s. By far the two
highest responses from the
medical field were funding and
the ability to recruit.
Conversely, the biggest
barriers to patients volunteering
for trials was a perception that
participation would disrupt the
pattern of their daily routines
THE ARKWRIGHT SCHOLARSHIPS
and their involvements would
not benefit them in any way.
These issues emphasised the
need for education, clarity
and better communication
throughout the Parkinson’s
clinical trial arena.
The survey results
were debated at a pivotal
international conference,
‘Rallying to the Challenge’.
The meeting made strong
recommendations that PM
develop a Clinical Trials
Charter to clearly define and
communicate the roles and
responsibilities of all parties
in trials. The Charter should
also signpost to those involved
the best resources, specific to
their function, and develop a
standardised method of practice
ensuring that clinical studies in
Parkinson’s are conducted as
effectively as possible.
The Clinical Trials Charter
will feed directly into CPT’s
programme of trials. The charity
aims to have ten new Parkinson’s
studies on ten prospective
breakthrough treatments by the
end of 2015.
All funds allocated to CPT by
the Merchant Taylors’ Company
will be utilised to support
development of these critical
education and communication
devices. The project will make
huge strides towards allowing
the charity to deliver successful
clinical trials, on time, within
budget, and so find cures for
this currently incurable and
horrendous illness.
T
he aim of the Arkwright
Scholarship Trust is
to inspire future leaders in
engineering. The scholarships
support students through
their sixth form studies
and encourage them in to
top universities or good
apprenticeships.
Winners are selected for their
potential through assessment
of their academic, practical
and leadership skills in STEM
(science, technology, engineering
and maths) subjects. Further
selection is through an assessed
application form including a
teacher’s supporting reference,
a two hour aptitude exam and a
university based interview.
This year the Company
funded five scholarships. Johny
Armstrong, First Upper Warden,
represented the Company at the
awards ceremony in London in
October.
The Arkwright judging panel
will match the Company’s
sponsorship with award winners
from the Company’s own
associated schools, wherever
possible. This year’s Merchant
Taylors’ linked awards were all
won by pupils from Merchant
Taylors’ School, Northwood.
A further 12 MTS boys won
awards sponsored by other
supporters of the scheme.
The scholarships consist of
an annual financial award to
each scholar and to his/her
school, as well as a range of
enrichment activities, such as
mentoring and industry visits, to
expand a scholar’s experience of
engineering and technical design
in a real-world context.
If any Member of the
Company would be interested
in providing work experience
or a work place visit for one of
our scholars please contact the
education officer at: dwatson@
merchant-taylors.co.uk.
Merchant Taylors’ award winners from left to right:
James Withers, Nathan Stephenson, Mr Johny Armstrong, Parin Vaghjiani, Hugo Parry, Simran Kumar
Tom Isaacs
010
011
EDUCATION
THE MERCHANT TAYLORS’
ASSOCIATED SCHOOLS
PHOTOGRAPHY COMPETITION
THE MERCHANT TAYLORS’
EDUCATION COMMITTEE’S SEMINAR 2015:
THE FUTURE OF IT IN SCHOOLS
T
his year’s seminar had
a record number of 80
delegates attending from across
the education world, including
primary, secondary and tertiary
levels from the state and
independent sector, as well as
think tanks, charitable trusts
and other Livery Companies.
The delegates were given two
thought provoking presentations
on ‘The Future of IT in Schools’.
The first speaker was Mr Toby
Black, managing director of RM
Education who presented five
key themes that encompassed
the use of technology in schools:
Safeguarding, ICT Vision,
Localisation vs Centralisation,
Use of Data and Parental
Engagement. After being
presented with polarised options
on each theme the audience was
asked to vote on which side they
felt a stronger alignment with;
for example, on the theme of
safeguarding, whether or not
schools should have rigorous
filtering or open access to the
internet. This showed the variety
of views within schools and
the educational community,
highlighting the importance of
debate on such subjects.
The second speaker was Rose
Luckin, a professor of LearnerCentred Design at the London
Knowledge Lab, a department
within the Institute for
Education, where she is also the
chair of Learning with Digital
Technologies. Professor Luckin’s
research explores how to most
effectively connect learning
across multiple technologies,
locations, subjects and times.
This work is interdisciplinary
and encompasses education,
psychology, artificial intelligence
and human-computer
interaction. Professor Luckin
discussed some of her recent
research and showed how the
relationship between people,
the concepts they are trying to
learn and teach, and the contexts
within which they operate, will
all impact on the best use of
technology in schools.
he sixth annual Merchant Taylors’ Photography Competition
took place in December 2014. It has now been expanded to two
categories; a junior category for years 1-8 who were given the theme
of the ‘Natural World’, and a senior category for years 9-13 who were
given the theme of ‘Conservation’.
We are delighted that Gillman and Soame kindly sponsored the
competition this year, which enabled us to provide better prizes for
the finalists.
There were over 120 entries and the judges had a difficult job of
selecting the winners. The five judges were the Master, First Upper
Warden Mr Johny Armstrong (who founded the competition in his
Mastership year); Second Upper Warden Mr Peter Magill, and Mr
Piers Calvert (Freeman and professional photographer).
SPONSOR’S CHOICE PRIZE
Gillman and Soame
Photography, principal sponsor,
chose one photograph that
particularly appealed to them,
which was ‘Cat’ by Thomas
Hattam from Merchant Taylors’
School, Northwood. Thomas’s
entry was originally part of the
junior category and his prize
was £25.
Diana Watson
Left to right: Mr Toby Black,
The Master, Professor Rose Luckin and
Mr Martin Clarke
012
T
Sam Kaye
“Tree”
SENIOR COMPETITION
Winner: Sam Kaye, Merchant
Taylors’ School, Northwood
Highly Commended:
Findlay Plumb, Wallingford
School; Rohan Popat, Merchant
Taylors’ School, Northwood;
Luke Gray, The King’s School
in Macclesfield; Sungmin Eric
Kim, Merchant Taylors’ School,
Northwood
The prize for the winner was
£300. The four runners up each
received £100.
Thomas Hattam
“Cat”
Rahul Patel
“Tiger Drinking Water”
JUNIOR COMPETITION
Winner: Rahul Patel, St. John’s
School.
Highly Commended: Elsie
Manson, Merchant Taylors’
Stanfield, mixed infants and
Junior Girls; Adam Knowles,
St. John’s School; Jacob Miller,
Merchant Taylors’ Junior
Boys, Crosby; Maddie Baugh,
Wolverhampton Grammar
School.
The prize for the winner
was £100 and a FINEPIX XP60
camera, kindly donated by
Tempest Photography.
The four runners up each
received £25. All students who
entered were sent a certificate.
013
SCHOOLS
SCHOOLS
captions
The new glass fronted reception area
ROYAL APPOINTEE OPENS NEW £5 MILLION SCHOOL
BUILD AT MERCHANT TAYLORS’ SCHOOL STANFIELD
M
rs Abila Pointing MBE
DL, the High Sheriff
of Merseyside, officially
opened a multi-million pound
redevelopment at Merchant
Taylors’ Primary School,
Stanfield. The two year, twophase project undertaken by
Eric Wright Construction was
completed in December and is
the second major build project
at Merchant Taylors’ Schools,
Liverpool in the last five years.
It is part of an overall ten year
development strategy, the
next stage of which is already
being planned.
Guests, including former
members of staff, were invited
to a special ceremony to mark
014
the official opening of the
impressive new build, which
has been now fully operational
since the beginning of the new
school term in January. Mrs
Pointing unveiled a plaque and
talked about the importance of
a good education. She then met
representatives of the school
council who took her, and other
guests, on a tour around the
new facilities.
The multi-phase construction
programme, the launch of which
was marked by an official steel
signing ceremony in 2013 by
Liverpool football team captain
Steven Gerrard, has provided
pioneering education facilities
for its 360 students. Designed
by architects Saunders Bell,
the project allowed partial
demolition of the school’s
former prefabricated and
somewhat tired buildings.
A new horizontal extension
links the new facilities to the
school’s remaining buildings,
some of which have also been
refurbished.
The school has remained
fully operational during the
build phase and all efforts were
made to make sure there was no
disruption to the school day. In
fact the team at Eric Wright, led
by enthusiastic project manager
Kevin Burgoyne, involved pupils
throughout the whole project
by incorporating viewing
Mrs Abila Pointing MBE DL
unveiling the plaque
windows into the building area
and introducing health & safety
and engineering talks into the
curriculum, as well as hosting
live demonstrations on concrete
production. Each pupil signed
their name on a numbered brick
used during the construction
phase and the infants were
given their own yellow hard
hat as a keepsake.
John Wilson, managing
director of Eric Wright
Construction, said, “Merchant
Taylors’ Schools have been
providing the best education
for over 400 years, and these
state-of-the-art facilities will
benefit generations to come.
The school was committed and
engaged throughout the entire
project, and even used the build
process as a learning tool. It has
probably been one of our most
enjoyable projects to work on.”
Miss Julie Yardley, head of
Merchant Taylors’ Primary
School, Stanfield added, “While
the quality of our teaching at the
school has always remained at
an exceptionally high level, over
the last few years the facilities
were becoming somewhat tired
and expensive to maintain. Our
reception pupils are now fully
settled into their purpose built
early years’ classrooms and
outdoor undercover play areas.
The staff, pupils and parents are
absolutely thrilled with the new
facilities. I would like to thank
the builders Eric Wright for their
expert handling of such a major
redevelopment.”
The much needed
redevelopment incorporates
a new large hall and kitchens,
several classrooms, resource
rooms, practice rooms and a
dedicated library, as well as a
fully equipped medical room
and other bespoke rooms for
specialist teaching of IT, art,
music and drama. Now there is
additional office space and an
impressive new glass fronted
reception area.
Michaela Riches
015
SCHOOLS
SCHOOLS
MERCHANT TAYLORS’ SCHOOL
NORTHWOOD
great school does not just
do one thing well – its
impact depends upon being
able to offer excellence across
the whole range of its activities.
Merchant Taylors’ pupils
consistently demonstrate their
academic talents in the exam
hall, with outstanding results.
However, it is beyond the
classroom that we really show
our strength.
In the Cambridge Chemistry
Challenge, 20 of our boys earned
medals, and Tom Compton was
awarded top prize amongst 4200
applicants. As well as chemists,
we also foster engineers –
Merchant Taylors’ has had the
most Arkwright Scholarships
awarded since the scholarship
programme began back in 1991.
Any school would be proud to
have two Arkwright Scholars –
we currently have 12 of them.
We also continue to enjoy
great success in sport. Our boys
have been well supported with
guest coaches.
In cricket, the boys have heard
the wisdom of Shahid Afridi,
Corey Collymore, Joel Garner
and Gordon Greenidge and have
responded by winning more
and more county and national
representations.
MTS is now the home
of Middlesex youth cricket.
Middlesex senior side come to
016
the school for winter nets and
first class cricket matches in
the summer. This summer, the
Australian Ashes team will spend
two days preparing at MTS,
netting with our pupils.
In rugby, we have had a
training session with Sam
Warburton, the Lions’ Captain
and we have 18 county or
regional players, nine of whom
are on Saracens’ or Wasps’ books,
and three are in the England
set up.
In hockey, 25 boys are
members of the Junior Academy
Centre and we have one in the
England set up.
But we are not just about the
elite – we also offer 20 additional
sports. We have a number of
regional and national sportsmen
for swimming, squash, athletics,
rowing and basketball and a host
of enthusiasts following their
love of everything from horse
riding to golf.
Our music is second to
none, as those will know, who
attended the wonderful Triennial
Service at St Paul’s, the recent
Remembrance Service, or any
of our many other concerts and
performances. Our violinist,
Christopher Savage has been
offered a place the National
Youth Orchestra, and has also
been chosen to be a string
leader. Five other pupils have
been invited to play in the Duet
Philharmonic Orchestra at the
Royal Festival Hall.
I mentioned the
Remembrance Service, which
was especially poignant this year
as we commemorate the 100th
anniversary of the World War I.
We have planned a four year
campaign to pay tribute to those
OMTs who fell.
After a year in which the
school hosted a variety of
guests, we have continued to
offer a platform to a variety of
distinguished speakers. Michael
Morpurgo read poetry from
the Great War; Antony Beevor,
the historian, spoke on the
Second World War. Ian Poulter,
of the British Ryder Cup team,
spoke on his career in golf, and
astronaut Chris Hadfield gave
an inspirational address on his
experience of space exploration.
Our ambition for the school
drives us on; improvement of
facilities is high on our list, with
the completion of the Design
Centre just six months away.
Then we turn our eyes to future
developments.
It is very pleasing to be able to
report that all is well at Merchant
Taylors’ School, as we take the
best of our past, and turn it to
shape an even better future.
Simon Everson
Headmaster
Above: Thomas Compton in the
Cambridge Chemistry Challenge
Above: Four of our twelve Arkwright Scholars
Below: commemorating the centenary of
World War I
Above: Sam Warburton at the training session
Below: Gordon Greenidge and Joel Garner
017
SCHOOLS
WALLINGFORD SCHOOL
WALK FOR THE BRAIN TUMOUR TRUST
O
ST JOHN’S SCHOOL
E
ducation is all about giving
children the best start and
foundation for their futures. At
St John’s we pride ourselves on
providing outstanding teaching
for boys who join us at three and
four years old.
The nurturing environment of
our Early Years Department gives
a gentle but structured start to
formal schooling. Boys are given
the time to explore, investigate
and develop new skills. The
Early Years at St John’s fosters
a passion for learning whilst
developing the boys’ confidence
and readiness to progress
through the school.
018
If you visit the Lambs,
Robins or Squirrels (the Early
Years classes) you will find
happy, engaged and inquisitive
boys who enjoy a vast range
of activities within the school
timetable. The emphasis is on
socialising, communicating and
developing their motor skills. A
typical day might involve such
classroom activities such as RWI
(Read Write Inc, a fun system
of developing reading, writing
and spelling skills), practical
mathematics, circle time, art, or
French. There might be music
and movement in the Norman
Hall, a visit to the forest area, P.E.
on our all-weather pitch, singing
in the music room or exploring
the bee hives on the nature trail.
It is fascinating for me to
meet these young boys and
then to look to the other end
of the spectrum at the mature
and confident young men who
move on to senior schools
such as Merchant Taylors’. It is
the evidence of this incredible
transformation that confirms
that our system works, and that
is probably why our 3+ and 4+
applications this year exceeded
by four times the number of
places we have to offer.
Sean Robinson, Headmaster
n 8th October 2014, Wallingford School
completed a sponsored walk in aid of the
Brain Tumour Charity. Students and staff walked
in memory of Gail Castle, mother to Harry and
Jemma, students at Wallingford School.
There is a very personal message from Harry
Castle on the school’s website that captures
our motive for taking on this challenge.
http://wallingfordschool.com/index.php/
news/208-sponsored-walk-2014
The eight mile countryside walk was led by Gail
Castle’s family along with a procession of over 1000
students and staff close behind. Determinedly, we
“On the last day of term the
students gathered together to
say goodbye for the Christmas
holidays. As part of the
celebrations we all took the chance
to thank the Castle family for
allowing us to mark the passing of
Gail Castle last year through our
sponsored walk. The money was
not the most important part of
the event but we are proud of the
sum raised and hope it makes a
difference to another family. Our
all walked on despite the weather forecast... even
getting a little stuck in mud here and there.
There was even a wonderful fly past from an
RAF Benson Puma at Wittenham Clumps, which
was training in the area, and they took some
photographs for us. What a great success.
At our Christmas Assembly at the end of
term, we were delighted to hand over a cheque
for £22,605.19 to the charity, thanks to generous
support from the Merchant Taylors’ Company,
supportive students, staff and all in our community.
Bee Hibbin
thoughts are also with a couple
of other students who lost close
family in the last couple of years.
Their dignity in coping, and
support for this particular cause,
is especially significant.”
Mr NJ Willis, Headteacher
“The sponsored walk is the perfect
example of one community
working selflessly together to help
others.”
Mr S Leeds, Deputy Head
“This is the third time I have
done the walk and it never
ceases to amaze me how the
whole school comes together
as a community both in the
fundraising and the walking
itself. It is always for a good cause
that is personal and close to our
hearts in some way. I am very
proud of my Year 7 group for the
amount they have raised. Well
done everyone.”
Mr R Lyons, Head of Year 7
019
MILITARY AFFILIATES
MILITARY AFFILIATES
THE LONDON REGIMENT
F
ifty LONDONS soldiers
returned from Cyprus in
October, having completed their
six-month UN tour with the 1st
Battalion Irish Guards. We were
delighted to learn that three
LONDONS soldiers would be
awarded commendations from
the UN Force Commander.
In November, we were
honoured to hold a splendid
homecoming reception in the
City for all returning Cyprus
personnel, in the presence of
020
our royal colonel, HRH the Earl
of Wessex and our Regimental
lieutenant colonel and the new
lord mayor.
This is the future of an
integrated regular/reserve force
in action and we are due to
return again to Cyprus in 2016.
Meanwhile, the focus for
everyone else was on Exercise
ROMAN STAR II, a two-week
training exercise for 120
soldiers in the Friulian
region of northeast
Italy, close to the Italian borders
with both Slovenia and Austria,
in a landscape of high Alpine
mountains, icy blue-grey rivers
and lush pastures and forests.
A busy two week package
of platoon level and specialist
training, live firing, battlefield
studies, cultural visits and
adventurous drills culminated
in a five day test exercise in the
Tagliamento River basin. Many
tackled a day of fiendish rock
climbing and abseiling under the
expert tutelage of Italian Army
instructors; equally, everyone
got to Venice for the obligatory
photoshoot in St Mark’s Square
or bellini in Harry’s Bar.
The final phase saw the
whole company climbing to the
summit of Monte Pal Piccolo,
the site of fierce fighting between
Italian and Austrian forces
between 1915 and 1917. The
scale of the trenches, hewn from
solid rock along the dizzying
ridgelines, was simply humbling;
a fitting way to end a spectacular
exercise.
Elsewhere, troops have trained
in France, Belgium, Italy and
Kenya and welcomed a strong
contingent from our sister
regiment, the Toronto Scottish
Regiment, to train with us in
the UK.
Finally, LONDONS soldiers
have been very proud to
participate in a number of
ceremonies commemorating the
outbreak of the First World War,
including the unveiling of new
VC commemorative plaques.
And of course, we also took
our place in the Lord Mayor’s
Show in November.
Lieutenant Colonel Rupert Pim,
Commanding Officer
The London Regiment
021
MILITARY AFFILIATES
MILITARY AFFILIATES
THE ROYAL YEOMANRY
I
have now taken over as
commanding officer of what
looks like becoming the largest
regiment in the Reserves.
We recently received the
very good news that the
planned reduction in size of
our squadrons in Telford and
Leicester had been put off for
at least the next two years,
and hopefully for good. The
recruiting effort made by our
soldiers in those areas has been
paying dividends in the overall
aim of growing the effective
strength of the Army Reserve to
30,000 by 2020.
So now the Royal Yeomanry
has squadrons in Fulham,
Croydon, Leicester, Nottingham,
Telford and Dudley, not
forgetting our Band in the City
of London of course.
We have recently been
awarded the ‘Freedom of Entry’
for the District of Mid-Sussex,
The Band’s director of music in typical jovial mood
022
which includes the towns of
East Grinstead, Haywards Heath
and Burgess Hill. So now any
Company Members living in the
vicinity have a double affiliation
with us! These pictures are of a
great day for the Regiment in an
area short of military presence.
The Band is now a ‘State
Band’ and is regularly asked to
play its part on public duties
such as Changing the Guard at
Buckingham Palace. This has
meant ordering new uniforms,
which require specially dyed
cloth in the unusual colours
which keep alive the Band’s
ancestry of the City of London
Yeomanry (‘Roughriders’) –
ostrich plumes and all.
After a tough camp in 2014
on the Borders with challenging
weather, we look forward to
the 1st The Queen’s Dragoon
Guards returning to the UK
from Germany, and to training
with them on a more regular
basis at their new home in
Norfolk.
We also look forward to
seeing more of the Company
over the coming year. As ever,
we very much appreciate your
continued support.
Lt Col Simon McMenemy,
Commanding Officer
The troops taking part in the parade to celebrate the Freedom of the City
023
EVENTS
A Tribute to our Fallen
24th February 2015
024
On a bracing cold February night,
220 people gathered in the Hall
to commemorate with an evening
of music, poetry, good food,
camaraderie and reflection, those
of the Merchant Taylors’ Company
who died in the Great War.
Suspended from the chandeliers
on a complicated copper mesh
was a ceiling of thousands of dried
flowers common to the trenches
and frequently enclosed in letters
home. The installation, which took
25 people 15 hours to construct,
was by floral artist Rebecca Louise
Law. She specializes in large scale
works of hanging flowers within
urban spaces, which, pertinently,
focus on the relationship between
humanity and nature.
As we took our seats under the
floral canopy, the recorded rumble
of battlefield guns brought the
building to silence. In the stillness,
an unseen lone drummer beating
his snare walked the corridors of
the Hall. The scene was set for an
extraordinarily emotive few hours.
Joseph Rich, a young boy from St
John’s School bravely opened the
first part of the programme with a
poem by Siegfried Sassoon Before
the Battle. More Great War poetry
was also beautifully read by Emily
Hopwood from St Helen’s School
and Charlie Woolley from Merchant
Taylors’ School, Northwood.
A talented quintet from St
Helen’s School performed a
composition from Stephen
Warbeck, before a piano
quartet from Merchant Taylors’
School, Northwood executed
a complicated and thoughtprovoking piece by Edward
Rushton, Combat in the Year
Thousand.
Then, with all eyes focused on
the stage, from the back of the
Hall the organ started up, with the
opening chords of Panis Angelicus.
Charles Vaughan from St John’s
School’s sensitive performance on
the trombone, with accompaniment
from Joan Stubbs, was one of the
most affecting of the evening.
At the first interval, the Catering
Company produced a glorious
roast rosette of lamb to echo that
of the Carlton Hotel, which, on
Armistice Day 1917, had to cater
for 712 people. That the war had
Inner Voices
ended called for much celebration,
but with very little food, some
serious creativity was needed to
do that justice. So Chef Auguste
Escoffier concocted small patties
made from lamb, veal, pork and
some chicken, with foie gras and
chopped truffle to make the meat
go further. Not the description
of compromised war food, and it
certainly didn’t taste like it either!
Baritone James Newby took
us in to the second part of the
musical programme with his
magnificent rendition of George
Butterworth’s settings of poems
from A. E. Housman’s A Shropshire
Lad. Accompanied by Annabelle
Lawson on the piano, they showed
off the Hall’s acoustics with
panache.
Jane Salmon, one of the UK’s
leading cellists, then performed
Bach’s Sarabande from Suite No 3
on the ‘Great War Cello’, or the
‘Trench Cello’ – a rectangular
version taken to France by a
soldier named Harold Triggs
from the Royal Sussex Regiment.
It has the appearance of a ration
or ammunition box, and when not
being played all the fittings can be
placed within this box, including
the bow. To reassemble everything
for playing takes four minutes. How
poignant that sound must have
been in the atrocious conditions
of the trenches. More informally
known as the ‘Holiday Cello’, it was
made in 1900 by W.E. Hill & Sons,
and was played on Armistice Day
2014 at Westminster Abbey.
Jane Salmon playing the Trench Cello
General the Lord Richard
Dannatt, Honorary Freeman,
constable of the Tower of London
and former chief of the General
Staff, then introduced the unveiling
of the Company’s new war
memorial plaque with a reading of
Ivor Gurney’s To Certain Comrades.
The plaque, which will be placed
in the garden, was commissioned
to mark the 100th anniversary of
the outbreak of the Great War, and
is dedicated to the memory of
those from the Company who have
died in all conflicts. It is crafted by
renowned carver Martin Cook, a
former pupil of Merchant Taylors’
bring Ralph’s expertise
as director of music
at Eton to the inner
London state sector. They have
hand picked the best singers from
a group of inner London schools
and have facilitated something
very special. The Merchant
Taylors have been supporting
the choir since its inception
both financially and in providing
opportunities to perform. The
quality of their collective sound
is quite breathtaking, and it was a
treat indeed to hear Ed Watkins’ a
capella version of A Soldier’s Grave,
which was commissioned by the
This event was neither mawkish
or sentimental, but reverential and
hopeful. It was made positive by
children’s voices and talents, the
presence of proud parents, much
conversation and laughter in the
intervals and by a sensitive and
thoughtful approach.
It has been the Master and Mrs
Watkins’ dream to put on such an
event during his Mastership, and
they have worked very hard to
perfect every detail.
Georgina Annett
“This has been an extraordinary evening,” said General the Lord
Dannatt. “Of all the Great War commemorative events I’ve been to
these few months, this has been one of the most special.”
School, Northwood, whose family
have been carvers for 250 years.
As the blue cover was pulled
back, Sergeant Richard Llewllyn of
the Royal Yeomanry Band played
the Last Post from the balcony; the
two minute silence at the end as
stunning as the performance. After
the Reveille, the vocal ensemble
Inner Voices sang Silent Night
in English and German, again
from the balcony, and to great
emotional effect.
It took something of a gearshift
for guests to turn to their dessert
– a strawberry Grand Marnier
charlotte with pineapple sorbet,
a similar dish to the pineapple,
strawberries and orange curacao
served in the Savoy Hotel during
the late summer months of 1914.
Over coffee, Inner Voices sang
again. The choir was set up by
Ralph Allwood and Ed Watkins to
Company in 2014 to remember
the fallen, and written by award
winning British composer and
songwriter, Simon Bass.
Inner Voices also sang Ralph
Allwood’s Lord, Thou Hast Been
Our Refuge, and For the Fallen:
“They shall grow not old,
as we that are left grow old:
Age shall not weary them,
nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun
and in the morning
We will remember them.”
Charlie Woolley brought the
evening to a close with a reading
of The Soldier by Rupert Brooke,
accompanied by Elegy for String
Orchestra in his memory, by
Frederick Septimus Kelly. The
drummer then returned for his
lonely march.
Sergeant Richard
Llewellyn playing
the Last Post
025
EVENTS
Quiz Night
21st January 2015
EVENTS
Livery Dinner and
Military Affiliates Awards
11th November 2014
The winning team
Over 200 Members of the
Company attended a quiz night
at the Hall, which was deemed a
huge success by all. The winning
team was a group of parents
from Merchant Taylors’ School
and second was a team lead
by Liveryman Mr Guy du parc
Braham. Third prize went to Court
Member Mr Christopher Hare,
who just happened to have the
headmaster and Mrs Everson on
his team!
The Lord Mayor
presents the Master
with a book about fish!
The Master presented our Military
Affiliates Awards at the Livery
Dinner held in November. The
recipients of the awards are those
who have contributed in some
special way to the functioning of
their unit and so are deserving
of recognition. Suzi Digby (Lady
Eatwell) OBE, choral conductor
and music educator, was the guest
speaker at an evening attended by
over 200 members and guests.
Zuzanna and Anna
The Master and LAET Aarron Clayton
The Master and WO1 David Baker
The Master and Sergeant Michael Davies
The Master and WO2 David Tomlin
The Master and Captain Heath Craster
The Doctors’ Dinner
18th December 2014
Head boys and girls from our schools
The amazing Out of the Blue
who performed on the night
026
Suzi Digby (Lady Eatwell) OBE
Dinner to honour the Lord
Mayor and Sheriffs
4th February 2015
The Company entertained the
Lord Mayor, the Lady Mayoress,
the Sheriffs and their consorts to
dinner in February.
Musical entertainment was
provided by Miss Zuzanna Olbryś
and Miss Anna Caban, both recent
graduates from the Guildhall
School of Music and Drama.
The Lord Mayor presented
the Master with a book on fish
cookery and the Clerk with a fish
spoon! The Company contributes
annually to the Lord Mayor’s
Appeal and to the Mansion House
Scholarship Scheme.
For more information please
see the City of London website –
www.cityoflondon.gov.uk
The Master, Wardens,
the Lord Mayor and
the Sheriffs
The Master and AWO2 Alison McIlroy
The speaker this year at Doctors’
Dinner was Jude Kelly OBE, artistic
director of the Southbank Centre,
Britain’s largest cultural institution.
In the ten years she has held
the post, Ms Kelly has directed
numerous award-winning theatrical
productions, working with Ian
McKellan, Patrick Stewart and Dawn
French, among others. She gained
major recognition as the founding
director of the West Yorkshire
Playhouse, which she worked to
establish as the acknowledged
centre of excellence it is today.
Earlier in the day Ms Kelly gave
an inspirational presentation to
the young people from our family
of schools, which was very much
appreciated.
Representatives from our schools with the Master and Jude Kelly
027
OBITUARIES
Dennis Ralph Greville Marler
15th June 1927– 12th November 2014
D
ennis joined the Livery
in 1975 and served the
Company as a Member of Court
since 1984. He was a major
figure in the London property
market for several decades,
where he is remembered for his
integrity, thoughtful leadership
and above all for his kindness.
In retirement he was most
comfortable with his family in
Cornwall, developing homes
and an outstandingly successful
hotel, the St Enodoc in Rock,
while we at the Merchant
Taylors’ Company benefited
from his regular visits to
London and his astute reshaping
of the Company’s property
investments.
Dennis was appointed
chairman of the Merchant
Taylors’ Estates Committee in
1992, and for the next decade
028
was responsible for reducing the
Company’s over reliance on the
income from letting the office
properties surrounding the
Hall. The Company continues
to reap the benefits of Dennis’
clear strategy of risk reduction,
by securing ground rent income
while simultaneously releasing
substantial funds for investment
in to a more balanced portfolio.
Dennis led the negotiations
on a number of important
transactions; the rebuilding of
7 to 11 Bishopsgate allowed
us to modernise and increase
the size of the Company’s
administrative offices on the
east side of the Hall. It is here
on the eastern staircase that we
find the remarkable trompe
l’oiel gothic window (pictured
opposite) which shows a young
apprentice looking out from
behind real wooden shutters
over the roofs of the mediaeval
City of London down the
Thames. This was a gift from
Dennis upon completion of the
works – a marvellous addition to
the art collection at the Hall, and
a fitting memorial to Dennis’
contribution to the Company.
The redevelopment of the
City Bank offices, adjoining the
western entrance of the Hall, in
to the popular and successful
Threadneedle’s Hotel was the
result of Dennis’ long and
patient negotiations, informed
by his experience both as a
developer and as a hotelier in
Knightsbridge. This has left the
Company with an extremely
valuable asset.
By this time, Dennis had
retired from his position as
chairman of Capital & Counties
plc, which as managing
director in the 1970s he revived
following the decade’s property
crash. By leading a team of
skilled developers he created a
significant number of innovative
shopping centres, including
turnover rents and food courts,
most notably the enormous
Lakeside centre at Thurrock.
As the hallmark of a respected
leader in the UK commercial
property world Dennis was
involved at the highest level in
many industry bodies such as
the Town & Country Planning
Association, and he was
president of the British Property
Federation in 1983-4, becoming
an honorary life member in
1992.
At Merchant Taylors’
Company we shall miss a great
friend who applied his astute
and shrewd property skills so
successfully on our behalf. But
above all we will remember
him for the kindness and
consideration he displayed in all
his dealings.
The Company wishes
to express its sincere
condolences to all the
families and friends of
those recently departed.
Mr Paul Austin Shaw Blomfield
26th March 1929 – 28th January
2015. A full obituary will
appear in the autumn edition of
Number 30.
Sir John King
31st March 1933–December 2014
Lord Wrenbury
18th June 1927–
27th September 2014
Joanna Price
31st December 1956–
9th November 2014
029
DONATION FORM
SPORTS
Donor Information
Name:
SPORTING FIXTURES 2015
Great XII Golf Challenge
Cup
20th April
MTC v Merchant Taylors’
School Boys golf match
6th May
MTC v Skinners’ Company
golf match
12th May
Inter Livery Shooting
Competition
20th May
Prince Arthur Cup golf
match
21st May
MTC v Broadhalfpenny
Brigands CC Cricket
Match at Broadhalfpenny
Down, PO8 0UB
31st May – all spectators very
welcome
MTC v the Staff of MTS
golf match
16th June
Address:
Company Golf Day
9th July
Great XII Sailing
Challenge
5th/6th June
MTC v OMT Golfing
Society
17th September
Post code:
Telephone (home):
Telephone (business):
Email:
Skinners’ Company v
MTC cricket match
at Tonbridge School,
TN9 1JP
7th June – all spectators very
welcome
MT Court v Vintners’
Court
13th/14th October
For details about any of the sporting fixtures please contact Kym Ash, [email protected] or
Abbie Shute, [email protected]
Livery & Freemen Fund
This is the Members’ own fund which supports
the Master’s chosen charity each year and up
to four individual charities recommended by
the Membership. Grants are made directly
from income donated, but there is also a
growing endowment fund.
Donation Information
I (we) donate a total of:
£
I (we) plan to make this contribution
in the form of:
cash
cheque
credit card
other
or Bacs payment:
(Sort Code 16-00-15, Acc No 23209155,
A/C Name: Merchant Taylors Charities Livery
and Freemen Fund)
Please debit my card with £
Credit card type:
Credit card number:
Expiration date:
Last 3 digits on the back of your card:
Authorised signature:
I direct that this donation and all previous and future
donations to the Livery and Freemen Fund (part
of The Merchant Taylors’ Company Charities Fund
– a registered charity) should be treated as Gift Aid
donations, and that I have paid or will pay an amount
of UK taxation in the relevant year sufficient for the tax
applying to these sums to be reclaimed
Signature(s)
Date
Please make cheques, corporate matches, or other gifts
payable to: Livery & Freemen Fund and send to Merchant
Taylors’ Company, 30 Threadneedle Street, London EC2R 8JB
030