Thirty-two Broad Street Ward Club members and guests attended a special whisky tasting at the Guildhall during Burn’s Week, hosted by Chairman Richard Muir with excellent tutoring from John McCheyne, Master Brand Ambassador at the Scotch Malt Whisky Society.
Continue reading “Blow Hard – Piping The Haggis & Clearing The Pipes”
As many know, I had a vicarious frisson from the ex officio post of Admiral of the Port of London which I held in 2023 and 2024 as Lord Mayor. The post is ancient and today honorific. In trying to find which ensign to fly, I found out that the Lord Mayor is required to design his own and the continue to use it during the rest of his life. This had not been done for well over a hundred years, so with a bit of cheek I restarted with the result below.
Continue reading “Admiral Of The Port? The Fleet?”
This week King’s College London hosted the Anniversary of the Magna Charta Universitatum (MCU), a celebration and exploration of the fundamental values of being a university. Over 200 universities have gathered to discuss ‘What are universities for? Higher education principles, values and responsibilities in a fragmented world’. Over three days, participants engaged in keynote addresses, panel discussions, and interactive sessions exploring the evolving role of universities amidst global challenges. KCL President Shitij Kapur and Professor Liviu Matei explain, “Affirming shared values will help academic freedom weather the storm”.
Continue reading “Magna Charta Universitatum”
Today’s Lady Mayor Show reminded me to share a little history about the mace that accompanies me in the Show, in turn accompanied by the Broad Street Ward Beadle.
Continue reading “Broad Street Ward Mace”
My dear friend Dr Geoff Browell and his team, Tam McDonald, Christopher Winn, and Mark Mason, producers of the London Timeline podcast, had the courage to ask me to hold forth on an eclectic and personal view of London’s history while sitting in the Jamaica Wine House, the original Pasqua Rosée coffee house of 1652.. Here is the resulting 53 minutes of sauntering sagacity, peripatetic pomposity, or perhaps freewheeling flaneuring.
Yes, I can’t resist an obscure reference to a 1993 parody B, but fun, film, Hot Shots! Part Deux. Pepys Day! Part Deux was also enormous fun with a bit of parody thrown in too.
Continue reading “Pepys Day! Part Deux”
[An edited version of this article appeared as “Pepys Day: Raise A Toast To London’s Best Diarist” in City AM on 2 September 2025]
Friday, 5 September 2025, marks the second annual Pepys Day in London. If you missed last year’s inaugural celebration, you’ll want to grab your quill and parchment (or smartphone) to register immediately. Samuel Pepys and his diaries of the Great Fire are to London as James Joyce and Bloomsday are to Dublin.
Continue reading “Pepys Day 2025: London’s Most Delightfully Diary-Obsessed Celebration Returns”
Since the beginning of the year I’ve already spent five weeks abroad, three visiting family in the US and two in Asia, leading me to wonder if being Lord Mayor isn’t such a tough roadshow. Lots of fun, and just sharing a few links to Korea and China if you want to skim a bit of what I was up to:
Seoul – https://www.koreaherald.com/article/10451919, https://biz.chosun.com/en/en-
Incheon – https://www.incheon.go.kr/en/EN020401/3005067
Guangzhou – https://www.gduf.edu.cn/info/1037/13401.htm
Shenzhen – https://en.cdi.org.cn/
