Carol Service at the Chapel Royal inside the Tower of London and Supper at Watermen’s Hall

Tower of London St Katherine's & Wapping, London, United Kingdom

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...

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£28.00 – £109.00

Christmas Quiz

On Zoom

Anyone can just join in! Zoom link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89056373502?pwd=a8E1P6sIQaSjcP2ZweQbYNsk6wpciE.1 Meeting ID: 890 5637 3502 Passcode: 164549   As our members are scattered far and wide, the events committee have set up an online quiz for the festive season! A lovely opportunity to come together with some fellow members for a bit of Christmas competition, so put your teams together, get the mulled wine on, and get your quiz brains ready!   This will be run with the usual style and skill by our Almoner, Beverley Turner.   Each household/zomm connection cost £5  (to go towards prizes!) No need to book, just turn up using the link above. If youhave any questions or problems, please contact Clare Ferrar on clareferrar@accountantslivery.org or 07828 554967

£5.00

Visit to Gunmakers’ Hall and Testing Labs, plus Christmas Lunch back at CAH

Gunmakers' Hall 48-50 Commercial Road, London, United Kingdom

The general public has no idea that behind the quiet façade of Gunmakers' Hall, just north-east of the City, hides the nation’s secret testing labs for all illegal and counterfeit firearms, which are seized in the UK. Unsurprisingly, this fascinating facility is never open to them, but the Gunmakers' Company, which owns and manages it on behalf of the nation, is discretely allowing up to ten of us to tour it, on condition nothing is said thereafter, and no photos are taken. We will meet outside their Hall at 10.45am, ready to go through security, at 11am. The tour itself will include not only the labs and a briefing from one of the staff, but also, oddly, a visit to see their pet snail, which is the world's largest - goodness knows how it ended up living (and apparently thriving!) at Gunmakers! Once the tour is over, we will all jump into a couple of cabs and go to our Hall, where the staff have laid on a full Christmas Lunch for us, down in the Club, with all the trimmings. For security reasons, and because the labs are a working environment in which space is limited, our numbers for this event are restricted to just 10, so Members are asked not to bring more than one guest.

£59.00

Visit to London Silver Vaults and Lunch

London Silver Vaults 53-64 Chancery Ln, London

Please note, this date has moved from 20 February to 7 January. The London Silver Vaults is one of those hidden gems, which came about entirely by chance, but now serves a pivotal role in its area, and if it hadn't existed, would probably have had to be invented! Many years ago a property developer acquired a plot in Chancery Lane, and due to the unstable nature of that bit of ground, was told by the planners that he had to use foundations two floors deep. Noting “the site’s proximity to the offices of all those wealthy lawyers, who infest the area” he decided to make a virtue of necessity and rather than using normal foundations, actually build in two levels of basements, and fill the lower one with a series of bank-grade vaults, which he would rent out to said lawyers. The scheme worked for a while, but slowly word spread and, little by little, leading London silver-smiths and jewellers began to rent vaults as a store for their stock. Their numbers grew, and inevitably, they began trading items, first between themselves, and then with the wider silver retail community. Today, the LSV are the nation’s leading silver wholesale market and quite a sight to see. Happily, one of the Master’s friends is Simon Surtees, son of the famous racing driver of yesteryear, John. After retiring from the track, John went into the silver business and Simon now runs the family firm, based primarily in the LSV. Simon has offered to give a dozen members and guests a private tour of the vaults, after which, our fine Clerk says that she knows a fantastic pub to which our party can repair for lunch. The Vaults building can be found at 53-64 Chancery Lane, London, WC2A 1QS. (The entrance to...

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Get Tickets £20.00 7 tickets left

Livery Food Initiative – Zoom Event

There is no need to book: Log on at:  https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84603288656?pwd=p3Pcw59mTRlYZfasQuiZdeJnwHYrzH.1 Meeting ID: 846 0328 8656 Passcode: 747627                  Do come along for what we are sure will be a compelling evening        C O N T A C T : c l a r e f e r r a r @ a c c o u n t a n t s l i v e r y . o r g    o r    0 7 8 2 8  5 5 4 9 6 7        

Carpet Bowls Day

Plaisterers' Hall One London Wall, 1 London Wall, Barbican, London

Over the years, a number of very successful Inter-Livery social events have emerged, such as Croquet and Pétanque, but to date there has been no Inter-Livery Carpet Bowls. Our Company recently lost yet another much-loved Member to Prostate Cancer (He was our fourth in just three years.), and this dreadful condition is a similar scourge across the entire City Civic. As a result, the Master has decided that our Company will organise this event in aid of Prostate Cancer Research, and in memory of him and all the other Livery/Guild victims on Saturday, 25th January.  We are all greatly indebted to our friends at The Plaisterers, for so kindly agreeing to sponsor this fundraiser at their fabulous Hall. The format of the day will be very simple: entries cost £49/person and guest players over 11yo are very welcome. Dress is casual (Jeans are fine, but string vests are discouraged!) Our fellow Liveries and Guilds have all been invited to enter one or two teams of four. As organiser, we can field up to four. There will be teas and coffees served throughout the day, plus a (reasonably priced!) cash bar over lunch, offering red and white wine by the glass, plus orange and apple juice. Lunch will be a shared picnic and everyone must bring a contribution of cold food to be shared with others - ideally enough for several servings. (Quiche, pates, flans, salads, cold meats, sandwiches etc, and easy puddings). If you are truly useless at picnics, tell Clare privately and we will buy your contribution for you, for an extra £10 per entrant. (Your shameful secret will be safe with us!) Full joining instructions will be issued in the New Year, but in essence, the doors to Plaisterers will open at 10am, with teas/coffees served. Then after...

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Get Tickets £49.00 16 tickets left

Winter Dinner 2025 – House of Commons

House of Commons Houses of Parliament, St Margaret St, London

We have never dined in the House of Commons and owe this great opportunity to our friend and fellow Member, Howard Leigh, who currently serves in the House of Lords, as Lord Leigh of Hurley. The Commons is a fascinating place to visit, never mind its rich history, amazing architecture and pivotal role in our nation's governance. We are lucky enough to be holding our drinks reception in the Strangers Bar, before moving next door to the lovely Members Dining Room for our meal. Next, in another first for the Company, there will be a public clothing ceremony for some new Liverymen - something which has hitherto always taken place in the privacy of a Court Meeting. After we have dined, we will be entertained by three fabulous sopranos from the justly-famous "Ida Girls", who will delight us with a medley of famous arias and West End show-stoppers. Then we shall move on to the presentation of the new Sword of Honour to our own Special Forced Support Group, who will be represented by the CO and RSM. I'm afraid that the identity of the principal guest and speaker for the evening must remain unsaid for the present. There are three lined up for the next three Dinners, but two of them come with security details, so I hope you will bear with me whilst they all haggle amongst themselves and with their opposite numbers at the three venues! Last, as regards price, it has been possible to reduce the cost of places yet again. You will recall that at the Installation Dinner, by dint of much juggling (and no little pleading by the Master!) we cut £10 off what has emerged as the standard City price of £149, reducing it to £139. This time, it has proved possible to...

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Get Tickets £107.50 130 tickets left

Trip to The Pirates of Penzance at the London Coliseum

London Coliseum St Martin's Lane, London

The Coliseum is one of this country's most famous theatres, with a huge internal space, and amazing architecture, very much in the grand style. What could be a better venue for one of Gilbert & Sullivan's most over-the-top and outrageous operettas!? So batten down the hatches and strike the colours! The pirates are back. The English National Opera’s smash-hit production of this world-famous swashbuckling farce is packing them out. With its splendidly silly storyline, wild wordplay and well-loved songs, this Mike Leigh production of The Pirates is irresistibly feel-good. And we're going to be there! For those unfamiliar with the story, a rather too honourable apprentice pirate (with a very unusual birthday) woos the lovely daughter of a rather dozy Major General, while his bungling buccaneer-shipmates try to frustrate the match, which involves trying to outwit an equally inept party of policemen. With friends like these, what could possibly go wrong? So come along to enjoy this amazing show at 7pm. We have also booked a pre-theatre supper at nearby hotel restaurant at 5.15pm, for those who'd like a meal first. Tickets: £111 Ticket including pre-theatre supper: £170 Pre-theatre: 5.15pm Show: 7pm Please book below where possible. If unable to, then please contact Clare Ferrar on clareferrar@accountantslivery.org

Get Tickets £111.00 – £170.00 7 tickets left

Wine-tasting with food matching – Corney & Barrow

In an event prepared especially for our company, City wine merchants Corney & Barrow have kindly agreed to host a small wine-tasting at their beautiful head office situated in the converted Customs House at St Katherine’s Dock. A Corney & Barrow wine expert will introduce us to six classic wines while their in-house chef will match each wine with a specially chosen canape. Time: 6.30pm-8.30pm    Please meet at 6.15pm for a prompt start at 6.30pm Location: Corney & Barrow, 1 Thomas More St, London, EW1 1YZ. Location Date: Thursday 27 February 2025 Tickets: £100 per person (maximum of four tickets per member)

Get Tickets £100.00 13 tickets left

Dinner at the RAF Club in Piccadilly

RAF Club 128 Piccadilly, London, United Kingdom

London boasts about twenty rather smart private members clubs, several of which have a military focus, and by general agreement the RAF Club, at the western end of Piccadilly, up by Hyde Park Corner, is one of the most attractive and intimate. (The wall art's pretty amazing too!) We are lucky to have close links with the service, both through our relationship with 47 Squadron, and also because Court Assistant Neeraj Kapur used to fly Tornados for a living, and today still flies fast jets! (He never mentions any of this, unless pressed!) As a result, Neeraj has kindly agreed to host 20 of us for a private Dinner at the Club, with a drinks reception and tour beforehand, and a senior speaker from the RAF to talk to us after the meal. The RAF Club is always popular and heavily booked, but we have managed to secure the lovely Cowdrey Lounge for our drinks reception and then the equally splendid Hodges Room for the Dinner. Tickets: £109 (the price below may show as excl VAT but should update at checkout) Guest are welcome, but there are only 20 places available so booking early is advisable Dress code: lounge suits for men and the equivalent for ladies Drinks: 6.30pm Dinner: 7pm

Get Tickets £109.00 20 tickets left

United Guilds’ Service 2025

St Paul's Cathedral St Paul's Churchyard, London, United Kingdom

The United Guilds' Service (UGS) was first held in February 1943 as a coordinated response to the challenges faced by the City of London following the Blitz of 1940-41. It was also a reminder of the religious origins of the Guilds. The first service to be conducted was held on Lady Day – 25th March 1943 - the first day of the year by the old calendar. This annual service is held at St Pauls Cathedral is one of the few occasions in the Livery calendar at which all the Livery Companies and Guilds of the City can gather together as a whole – it is always a spectacular occasion, and one not to be missed if you haven’t attended before. More details and booking information to follow

Visit to Highgate Cemetery and Supper

Highgate Cemetery Swain's Lane, London, United Kingdom

The world-famous Highgate Cemetery, with its iconic tombs (Karl Marx etc) was originally opened in 1839, as part of a commercial venture to provide seven large, modern cemeteries, round the edge of central London. The inner-city cemeteries, mostly graveyards attached to churches, had long been unable to cope with the number of burials and "The Magnificent Seven" were intended to solve this problem, and to turn a profit at the same time. Highgate occupies a spectacular south-facing hillside site on Highgate Hill. Like the other six, it soon became a fashionable place for burials and the Victorian attitude to death and its presentation led to the creation of a wealth of Gothic tombs, buildings and catacombs. Sadly, the cemetery was not well run and fell into such dire financial straits in the Mid-20th Century that most of the staff, including the gardeners were laid off, and it was left unguarded and so was much vandalised. Over decades, the grounds became increasingly overgrown and today they are full of trees, shrubbery, and wildflowers, as well as being a haven for birds and small animals, such as foxes. In 1975, Friends of Highgate Cemetery Trust bought the freehold, and order is steadily being restored to what has, despite its troubled history, remained a working cemetery throughout. With its sinuous paths winding up a steep wooded hill and ivy-clad monuments, Highgate Cemetery is a secluded, funerary landscape at its most evocative. We will have a hour's private tour of the Western Cemetery (considered by those who have visited both, to be much the more interesting), after the gates have shut to the public for the day. We will be shown all the key sites there, before slipping across the road to visit Karl Marx's tomb and a few other items on the Eastern...

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Get Tickets £59.00 18 tickets left

Clergy Support Trust – Festival 2025

The 370th Festival will be held on Tuesday 13 May 2025 The Festival is a unique and extraordinary event. It celebrates the work of the Trust and the clergy families we serve, with our generous supporters. The Service at St Paul's Cathedral is the oldest choral festival in the world. It is free and open to everyone and brings together three of the UK’s finest cathedral choirs every year. Details of the choir and preacher for next year will be released in due course. Tickets will be available in early 2025. Read More

Livery Tour and Dinner on SS Great Britain

SS Great Britain Great Western Dockyard, Gas Ferry Rd, Bristol

The SS Great Britain is the world’s first great ocean liner and when launched in 1843 she was called ‘the greatest experiment since the creation’. After 40 years as a passenger ship and then a cargo ship, she was severely damaged off Cape Horn and left to rot in the Falkland Islands until 1970, when she was re-floated and bought back to Bristol, where a charity refurbished her and cares for the ship and Brunel’s collections. Brunel’s ship is now Bristol’s number one tourist attraction and has been lovingly restored to her original glory, exactly as she would have been ready for her maiden voyage. She sits in a dry dock on a glass ‘sea’ and dominates Bristol’s historic waterfront. This is a very rare opportunity to dine on the this world-famous ship, as London's Liveries, (led by the Engineers, naturally!), have her for our exclusive use that evening. A welcome drink which will be served on the Weather Deck from 6pm, with spectacular views over Bristol harbour. If the weather is less kind, we will use the Promenade Deck, where the first-class passengers would take their afternoon stroll on rainy days. This is flooded with natural light and has a number of exhibits that we can explore. At 7:30 we will assemble for Dinner in the First Class Dining Saloon, which has been completely refurbished in the original style. With marbled pillars and rococo mirrors it makes a grand setting. A three-course meal will be served, with wine. There will be entertainment after the meal and further drinks will be available to purchase. We have exclusive use of the Great Britain from 6pm to midnight and are invited to explore it, making the most of this unique venue. Dress code is dinner suits for gentlemen and cocktail/summer dresses for...

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Get Tickets £142.00 8 tickets left

New Members’ Dinner

Guildhall Club Guildhall Club, Guildhall West Wing, Gresham St, London, London, United Kingdom

The Grange Opera 2025 – Summertime Swing

This year Grange Festival welcomes one of Europe’s top big bands, the Jazz Orchestra of the Concertgebouw. Together with Dutch jazz superstar Fay Claassen they will perform hits from the Great American Songbook. This golden age of music (1920–1950) was shaped by composers like Irving Berlin, George Gershwin, Cole Porter and Jerome Kern and their impressive collection of classics which have truly stood the test of time. Guaranteed to get your toes tapping and your hearts singing. Artists: Fay Claassen The Jazz Orchestra of the Concertgebouw More details and bookings to follow soon

Shrieval Election and Lunch 2025, with former Sheriff Andrew Marsden

Guildhall Club Guildhall Club, Guildhall West Wing, Gresham St, London, London, United Kingdom

Twice a year, the City of London Corporation’s Common Hall is transformed from a standard local authority meeting on civic issues, into a day of great ceremony. Click here for more history and information. Each autumn, Liverymen elect the next year’s Lord Mayor and every summer, it’s the turn of the two Sheriffs. After Common Hall, many Liveries go home, but the Master Chartered Accountant hosts a private Reception and Lunch in the Aldermen's Dining Room. We go up to Guildhall’s roof terrace on the fourth floor for the Reception and then into the Dining Room for lunch. This summer, we will all be delighted to welcome former Sheriff, Past Master Marketor and former FSG Chairman, Andrew Marsden, as our Principal Guest. Andrew will talk to us after the meal about what happens to you, if lucky enough to be elected Sheriff, between that election and when you actually emerge, blinking into the light, as a shiny new Sheriff in September. Happily, Andrew has promised to be highly indiscrete! Partners and guests are very welcome and will be able to have coffee and explore the Guildhall Gallery, while Liverymen are attending the Election Ceremony.   11.30am - Coffee 11.45am - All attending the Election Ceremony must be seated 12noon - Shrieval Election Ceremony 12.45pm - Drinks in the Aldermen's Dining Room 1.15pm - Lunch in the Aldermen's Dining Room Dress: lounge suit or smart day wear Tickets: £98, for Drinks Reception and Lunch

Get Tickets £98.00 28 tickets left

Master’s Weekend in Poole, visiting the RNLI and the Royal Marines

RNLI HQ Poole

The Royal National Lifeboat Institution is one of those great Victorian foundations, the merits of which are as starkly obvious today as they when it was founded. Now a massive national charity, the RNLI today protects seafarers and beach users of all the beaches and waters around the UK, and also those of the Republic of Ireland. It does this through 238 lifeboat stations and 242 lifeguard units. The former deploy a fleet of 432 rescue craft, which they launch about 10,000 times each year, while the latter goes to the aid of some 20,000 people on and around the beaches annually. These services are provided by nearly 10,000 lifeboat volunteers and about 2,500 paid staff, including lifeguards. The RNLI HQ is down in Poole Harbour, where it also recently built a unique and rather smart training college (with extremely comfortable, boat-themed, ensuite bedrooms), which has some rather unusual training facilities. Next door it has constructed an equally specialist factory, in which it builds its iconic and extremely capable lifeboats. For obvious reasons, the public have access to scarcely any of the site, which is entirely focussed on the RNLI volunteers and employees, who go there for its myriad of specialist training courses. However, the Master has persuaded the Principal to allow a party from our Company to stay at the College during the last weekend in June, to see what they do there, how a busy lifeboat station operates, and how the lifeboats are built and maintained. The Royal Marines are one of our nation's two premier light infantry units, and with their amphibious focus, they have bases in various coastal locations around the UK. By chance, one such base is in Poole, located just across the harbour from the RNLI College. We have long affiliated to the key...

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Get Tickets £440.00 – £560.00 46 tickets left

Annual Banquet

Mansion House Walbrook, London, United Kingdom

Sheep Drive, Fair and Lunch 2025

London Bridge and The Little Ship Club

Hosted by The Worshipful Company of Woolmen, one special day – two unique events, ensuring that everyone can enjoy the atmosphere and spirit of this wonderful occasion. A long-established charity event, celebrating a Freeman’s ancient “right” to bring sheep to market over the Thames, toll free; all in aid of raising funds for The Woolmen Charity and The Lord Mayor’s Appeal. This year’s Sheep Drive took place on Southwark Bridge. Access is restricted to registered and pre-booked Freemen of the City of London and their guests, to enable the remainder of the bridge to be open to vehicular and pedestrian traffic. Located on Queen Street and Queen Street Place, the magnificent Livery Fair offers visitors the opportunity to learn all about the Sheep Drive and the wonderful causes it supports and - where livery and specialist wool companies celebrate their trades with interactive displays and sales of their wares. Other fun activities include expert blade shearing displays and some wonderful rare breed sheep! The Sheep Drive & Livery Fair showcases the important enduring contribution of London’s livery companies, from the formation of the City of London in years gone by through to modern times, both in respect of the continuous evolution of sustainable trades and the important charitable endeavours in support of the various challenges we face today. Bookings are not open yet

Mayoral Election and Lunch 2025

Guildhall Club Guildhall Club, Guildhall West Wing, Gresham St, London, London, United Kingdom

After the historic ceremony of the Mayoral Election during the morning, the Master invites Company Members and their guests to join him upstairs in the Guildhall Club for a private Drinks Reception and Lunch. Guests will have the opportunity to enjoy drinks on the roof terrace before moving into the Aldermen’s Dining Room for lunch. After lunch, guests are welcome to move back out onto the roof terrace to view the events going on in the square below. 11.30am - Coffee 11.45am - All attending the Election Ceremony must be seated 12noon - Mayoral Election Ceremony 12.45pm - Drinks in the Aldermen's Dining Room 1.30pm - Lunch in the Aldermen's Dining Room Tickets: tbc Dress code: Lounge suit, Smart day wear  

Help Musicians’ Festival of St Cecilia 2025 and Lunch

St Paul's Cathedral St Paul's Churchyard, London, United Kingdom

Help Musicians’ annual celebration of music The Festival of St. Cecilia has been the flagship event in Help Musicians’ calendar since 1946. It is a key moment for us to come together to celebrate what music brings to all of us, and to mark the contribution that musicians make to our lives. 2025’s service will see the combined choirs of Westminster Cathedral, St Paul’s Cathedral and Westminster Abbey unite to perform in Westminster Abbey. Date: Wednesday 19 November 2025 Service: 11am – 12noon Lunch: 12.30pm (location tbc)