As well as very kindly granting the Company a private tour of the Tower on 20th November, and ringside seats at that evening’s Ceremony of the Keys, the Governor has also given us permission to hold this year’s Carol Service in their Chapel Royal. The Chapel of St Peter ad Vincula stands in the north-east corner of the fortress and dates from the reign of King Henry VIII, but it is merely the latest church on the site, which has been holy ground since the Dark Ages.
For those who wish to take a general tour beforehand and see the Crown Jewels, it has been agreed that we can buy tickets for entry between 3pm and 4pm, at a cost of £32 each. Then, once the Tower closes, rather than being asked to wait outside for the service, we are going to be allowed to have a drink in the Yeoman Warders’ private pub, The Keys, until 6pm. (Note: this is a cash-only bar.)
Members and their guests who do not wish to visit the Tower of London before the Carol Service need to come to the main entrance on the western side of the fortress at 6pm.
At 6pm, everyone will led up to the Chapel Royal and given a talk on its history and present day role. The service itself will begin at 6.30pm and should last about an hour. The cost of attending the service (which goes towards the choir etc) is £28.
After the service, Members and their guests can either leave for home, or walk to Watermen’s Hall, seven minutes away, for canapés and drinks, with a Christmas theme, the cost of which is £49 per person.
Tower of London, Crown Jewels, The Keys pub
3pm-6pm
£32 (plus cash-only bar in the pub)
Carol Service in the Chapel Royal in the Tower of London
6.30pm
£28
Drinks and Canapés at Watermen’s Hall
7.30pm
£49
This is an event at which guests (including children) are most welcome, and it is perhaps worth stressing that the Company in unlikely to be granted this honour again in the near future, so it is probably something most of us are unlikely to be able to do again in our Livery careers.
Dress: smart day wear, and given that the Tower is always chilly in December (All that stone!) coats, hats and gloves are advisable.