One of the highlights of

The Vintners’ Company
Annual Review 2009-2010
Contents
2
3
4
5
6
9
Royal Swan Upping 2009
Committees and
Appointments
Reflections on the Master’s Year
Master and Wardens,
2010-2011
Obituaries
Membership 2009-2010
9 Scholarships and Bursaries
10 Court Visit to Rioja
14 A Fifteenth-Century Vintner
of London
16 Being Independent
18 Common Hall 2010
19 Master’s Day Out
20 ‘The Road to Mansion House’
22 The Vintners’ Company and
Veterans Aid Walk in Epernay
24
25
26
28
29
30
32
34
36
39
Afghanistan 2009-2010
AGM, Sea Cadets
Visit to ‘A’ Squadron, 1RTR
Livery Medals
The Staff
The Master’s Year
Charity
Finance and Investments
Highlights of the Year
Zunft zu Weinleuten
Royal Swan Upping 2009
Cover: Her Majesty the Queen meets the Company’s Swan Marker and Swan Uppers
English monarchs have claimed ownership of mute
swans for many centuries. The annual census of
swans on the River Thames, called Swan Upping, is
believed to have been carried out continuously since
the 12th century. It takes place in July because the
cygnets are then old enough not to be injured, but
not old enough to fly away!
You could be forgiven for thinking, therefore, that Her
Majesty the Queen would take a keen interest in this
custom – after all, the smartly-liveried Uppers, and her
Swan Marker, row past Windsor Castle every July.
However the truth is more prosaic: no reigning monarch has witnessed this ancient and colourful spectacle
for over 150 years. So it was a welcome and pleasant
surprise when, in 2009, the Palace advised both the
Vintners and the Dyers that Her Majesty wished to see
for herself exactly what Swan Upping was all about.
For me, as recently-elected Swan Warden, it was
an added privilege and honour to be part of the welcome party. By the end of what was a perfect, warm
summer’s day, it was clear that Her Majesty had much
enjoyed learning about how her swans are cared for
and counted on the River Thames.
Indeed, the resulting international publicity has
given a much-needed boost to the ancient tradition of
Swan Upping, and to the hard work of the Uppers, the
Swan Wardens and Swan Markers. It has also raised
the profile of the important care and conservation work
done by the swan sanctuaries, such as Swan Lifeline at
Cuckoo Weir Island, Eton.
Eagle-eyed watchers of the Queen’s Christmas
Broadcast on television at the end of 2009 will have
noted the four-second clip of Her Majesty with some
cygnets during the round-up of her year’s activities. As
the Swan Mistress and I were standing right behind
the Queen at the time, this caused much surprise and
2
The Swan Warden and the Uppers
amusement in our Christmas household!
Her Majesty arrived by Royal Barge so that she
could first meet the Uppers. It was a great privilege for
Martin Spencer, the Vintners’ Swan Marker, to introduce our valiant oarsmen, and to explain their Upping
craft. This was a day they will all remember for many
a year. Having heard the cry ‘All Up’, Her Majesty was
able to witness a catch of a family of four cygnets. The
Royal party then returned to the Barge, and continued
to the majestic surroundings of the Oakley Court Hotel
just down river. Here they alighted onto the lawn, to be
introduced to the Swan Warden of the Vintners (me!)
and the Prime Warden of the Dyers. Several collections
of ‘Swan Projects’ diligently created by two local primary schools were also inspected. David Barber, the
Queen’s Swan Marker, resplendent in his bright red
coat, accompanied and enlightened the Queen at every
turn. Her smile conveyed genuine delight. I am sure
she was wondering why she had left it so long.
Michael Cox
Swan Warden 2009
Committees and Appointments
For the Master’s Year 2010/2011
Many thanks to members who have supplied the photographs used in this review, and also to Nick Panagakis, nick@panagakis.fsnet.co.uk for his unfailing help at events
Master and Wardens’ Committee (monthly)
M J H Mason ...................... Master (Chairman)
M J Turner ............................ Upper Warden
J M G Cox .............................. Renter Warden
A R J Sykes ......................... Swan Warden
S Dow ....................................... Immediate Past Master
Investment Committee (4 a year)
W D Robson ....................... (Chairman)
M J H Mason ...................... (Master)
J M G Cox .............................. (as Renter Warden)
S Dow
M J Turner
A W C Edwards
Liveryman M A Wagner
Liveryman D A Delaforce
Liveryman A F de C Paynter
Court Selection Committee (as required)
Master ........................................................... Chairman)
Wardens
IPM
A Platt
W D Robson
M A T Davies
P D Sandeman
Livery Selection Committee (5 a year)
A W C Edwards .................................. (Chairman)
M J H Mason (Master)
S Dow
J M G Cox
R J Clevely
Vintners’ Foundation Committee (4 a year)
E P Demery, CVO .............................. (Chairman)
Liveryman P W H Mason
Master
J M G Cox
Liveryman R Wilson
Liveryman Dr M L C Dhew
Freeman Mrs V C P Collinge
The Chaplain
Freeman’s Social Committee (as required)
Freeman Miss A C P Hunt
Freeman D R Dix
Freeman C P S Hodgson
Freeman M R Blundell
Father of the Court (as required)
A Platt
Master
H J Newton
M H R Hasslacher
Treasures Committee (2 a year)
M H R Hasslacher ............................. (Chairman)
Master
Sir David Mitchell, DL
A W C Edwards
Liveryman A C Cock
Liveryman R M Todd-Young
Liveryman Miss L A Best-Shaw
Wine Committee (4 a year)
M A T Davies ......................................... (Chairman)
Master
F J Avery, MW
D B Butler-Adams
P D Sandeman
A R J Sykes
Trustees, Wine & Spirit Education Trust
E P Demery, CVO
J M G Cox
Liveryman N Clarke, MW
Trustees Pension Fund (2 a year)
S Dow .......................................................... (Chairman)
A W C Edwards
Liveryman E R Lines
The Clerk
Vintners’ Scholars’ Trustees
M H R Hasslacher
E P Demery, CVO
The Clerk
Donation Governor – Christ’s Hospital
A J Buchanan
Golf Captain
WD Robson
Golf Secretary
Liveryman J G F Stoy
Liaison Officer with RTR
Liveryman A O Blayney
Swan Liaison Officer
Liveryman Miss S L Langton
NB: The Clerk attends most Committees in an Ex-Officio capacity
3
Reflections on the Master’s Year
Sam Dow, Master 2009-2010
“
When I was at school, more years ago than I care to
remember, I learned the adage that ‘It is Better to Travel
Hopefully than to Arrive’. A year as Master of the Vintners’
Company offered lots of possible ‘arrivals’, when keen
expectation could be followed by gentle disappointment.
Happily, the reverse was true.
Firstly, there was the programme of Company meetings.
There are about fifty of these: Court, Master and Wardens,
Investment Committee, Wine Committee, Charities Committee, Treasures Committee, VCCF Committee, Pensions Trustees,
plus sub-committees dealing with both regular and ad hoc
matters. Surely a number of these, interesting enough in
prospect, might fail to hold the attention, or fall short in
decisiveness? Well no, actually. The overriding characteristic
of all these meetings was of people wanting to pull together,
not in a search for bland agreement, but rather to settle on
conclusions that were in the best interest of an organisation
that has existed for centuries, and should survive for many
more. We can and do draw on the well of known expertise
within our membership (if your own remains unrecognised,
don’t hesitate to tell the Clerk!), and within the home team
and their advisers. So the shared interest, and range of
experience, apparent in these meetings have continued to
provide stimulation. From some meetings grew a shared view
that our links with the Wine Trade must be further enhanced,
and much thought is being given to this.
Secondly, there was the exciting possibility of gaining a
better understanding of the City of London Corporation and
the Livery movement. I had attended an excellent course to
familiarise myself with the Corporation, but it became clear
that to play a part in enhancing the relevance
both of the Corporation and of the wider Livery
movement we, Vintners and others alike,
must raise our eyes from our immediate
surroundings. We started the process of
improving our understanding with
Liveryman Alderman Andrew
Parmley’s entertaining talk at
Common Hall and, with luck,
increased interest will lead
the Vintners once again to
provide a Lord Mayor. In
practical terms, we need to
provide those interested
with the resources to make
4
progress. So, once again, ‘arrival’ failed to disappoint. It
meant the start of another journey.
A third possible ‘arrival’ was to better understand where
the Vintners’ Company fits into wider United Kingdom and
London life. Over the course of the year, with visits to many
Wren churches, the occasional wet garden party, and
participation in wonderful Royal Tank Regiment events, and
with more than a hundred Loyal Toasts as background, it has
been impossible not to be struck by the degree to which the
roles of the Royal Family, the Church, the Military and the
Livery Companies interact. You don’t need to be Royalist or
religious to appreciate how, together, they blend into a
formidable core of national identity, to be unpicked at our
peril. Add to this our slowly (but surely) growing commitment
to charitable and educational activities, so appreciated by the
beneficiaries I was privileged to meet, and doubts about our
relevance in the twenty-first century disappear. No disappointment here.
Another hoped-for ‘arrival’ was active participation in
‘events’ organised by the Company or its friends. The opportunity to descend the Innsbruck Olympic Bobsleigh run, the
Mistress in front of me, was literally a once-in-a-lifetime
experience – I refuse to do it again! The dinner the same
evening, when we entertained the young officers and men of
the RTR who had taken part in the Championships, made us
both realise how lucky we all are to be protected by such
exceptional individuals.
Exceptional in a different way were the Vintners’ ski
team, led by George Stoy, who won nearly everything at the
inaugural Inter Livery Ski Championships in Morzine. I have
also seen at first hand our golfers and cricketers meet with
triumph and disaster with an equanimity of which Kipling
would be proud, but sadly missed our sailors coming a
plucky second in the Inter Livery Championships.
I was delighted to lead the Court
visit to Rioja, a region which, on the
evidence of the cellars we saw, has
mastered the art of converting grapes
into cash. The local Spanish market
is now suffering horrendously,
but ever-increasing emphasis
on quality has provided welcome relief through export
markets. The hospitality we
received was outstanding,
and our team became
“
Arriving, in my case, has been as good as travelling, but I know that the journey has proved
so enjoyable because of the willingness to go the extra mile of the Clerk and all our staff.
increasingly conscious of the esteem in which the London
Wine Trade is held. Our hosts were fascinated by the historic
role of the Vintners’ Company and, when we come to look at
our Wine Trade relationships, as referred to above, we need
to think about how our unrivalled contacts with key players
in the Old and New World can best be developed.
The most recent ‘journey’, the Charity Walk in Champagne (reported elsewhere), was a reminder of the good that
can be done when Vintners, individually or with their friends,
work together for the benefit of others. Those who were
unable to take part in this or the earlier walk four years ago
cannot begin to appreciate quite what they missed. The
effer vescence of those taking part was as joyous as the
champagne offered and accepted morning, noon and night.
Don’t make the same mistake again!
For many of us, dinners in the Hall are highlights of the
year. The many letters of thanks I have received confirm my
own view that enjoyment levels are wonderfully high. The
quality of food and wine is a tribute to those involved in
preparation and selection, and is matched by the quality of
the organisation and service. Lord Lang, Sir Stuart Hampson,
Eric Nicoli and Jonathan Ticehurst gave us some amusing and
memorable speeches. My congratulations and thanks to all
concerned.
‘Arriving’, in my case, has indeed been as good as
‘travelling’. But both have proved so enjoyable because of the
willingness to ‘go the extra mile’ of the Clerk and of all our
staff. I have been privileged to see at first hand their expertise
and enthusiasm, qualities recognised throughout the Livery
Companies. I offer them all my sincerest thanks as I do to my
travelling companion, Lorna, who has enjoyed the privilege
of being Mistress as much as I have enjoyed the honour of
being your Master. And that’s saying something!
Master and Wardens, 2010-2011
Martin Mason
Master
Michael Turner
Upper Warden
Michael Cox
Renter Warden
Anthony Sykes
Swan Warden
5
Obituaries
Past Master Anthony Berry
Born 16 March 1915
Master 1980 - 1981
Anthony Berry, who died on 23rd February aged 94,
was a director for over 60 years of the 312-year-old
family wine firm, Berry Bros & Rudd, with two
decades as Chairman. A familiar, immaculately-turnedout figure in St James’s Street until well into his
nineties, he only gave up wearing a bowler hat on
his way to work when he found he was being
photographed by tourists as a curiosity.
Anthony Berry
Berry was one of the last of his breed – the oldfashioned, gentleman wine merchant. He had made up
his mind to enter the trade during his early teens,
despite the fact that the rules of the business partnership with the Rudd family limited space at Berrys to
his elder brother, George.
A wine trade lunch, to which he was taken by his
father when he was 17, made a lasting impression. The
wines served included such treats as 1896 Château
Lafite, 1864 Château Léoville, 1877 Château Labégorce
and 1923 Château Coutet. ‘I seem to have absorbed my
share of all this quite happily, because in the evening
I went to Bertram Mills’ Circus at Olympia without
apparently being any the worse for it,’ he recalled.
After leaving school, Berry worked with Williams &
Humbert in Jerez, before spending his university vacations with the likes of Delamain in Cognac and GH
Mumm in the Champagne region. On coming down in
1936 from Cambridge (where he admitted to drinking
little but beer), he joined Rutherford, Osborne & Perkin
as an office boy on £2 a week. He remained until the
outbreak of war, during which he served with the RNVR.
In 1941, the death in action of George Berry made
Anthony’s entry into his family’s firm a necessity, and
he became a Director in 1946. In 1965 he took over as
Chairman, and continued in the post for the next 20
years. Despite the fact that his main focus was wine,
these were years of great success for the company,
largely through the growth in export markets of Cutty
Sark Scots Whisky – invented by his father.
Berry acquired something of the importance of an
elder statesman of the wine and spirit world, having
served for many years on various bodies associated
with the trade, not least the Vintners’ Company, of
6
which he became Master in 1980.
Anthony Arthur Berry was born on March 16 1915,
the son of Francis and Amy Marie Berry, and educated
at Charterhouse and Trinity Hall, Cambridge. In 1953
(having proposed on Coronation Day), he married Sonia,
the daughter of Sir Harold Graham-Hodgson KCVO,
radiologist to the Royal Family. The couple had a son,
Simon – Berrys’ current Chairman – and a daughter.
A gentle and shy man, he had a dry sense of
humour and a keen wit, and in private could be jovial
company indeed; in public, and to the staff at Berrys,
however, he could appear somewhat buttoned-up.
Underlings were apt to keep their heads down when
he passed through the shop, although nobody could
fault either his manners or his charm, both of which
came from a different era. Even as Chairman he would
write personally to every new customer. Such was his
reserve, though, that one employee was moved to say:
‘For such a lovely man, he always looks so miserable.’
Despite his apparent shyness, Berry was immensely
clubbable and enjoyed membership of Boodle’s, MCC,
the Saintsbury and a brace of golf clubs. He was also
a fine host. He shared his birthday with two celebrated
wine writers – Cyril Ray and Edmund Penning-Rowsell
– and although he certainly did not share their politics,
he delighted in drinking fine vintages with them over
birthday lunches in the directors’ dining room at no 3
St James’s Street.
Berry, whose wine knowledge was formidable, was
liked and admired, and his somewhat old-fashioned
views ensured he became a rich source of anecdote.
There was much merriment, for example, when word
got back from one of his buying trips to Château Latour
in the 1970s. The celebrated First Growth estate had
recently installed stainless steel vats in its cellars;
Berry was seen to shake his head and declare that he
had never thought he would live to see the day that
Latour looked like a dairy.
He retired to Bath, but returned regularly to London
for board meetings. He caused both family and firm
great concern during his first such visit, turning up at
Berrys alarmingly late for a man so punctual and
punctilious. It turned out that his tardiness was due to
the fact that he had been waiting for the best part of
an hour at Paddington for a tube train with a first class
compartment.
The day after Anthony Berry died the flag at no 3 St
James’s Street stood at half mast. He is survived by his
wife and children; his son, grandson, nephew and
great-nephew continue to work for the company.
As printed in the Daily Telegraph, 15 March 2010
Liveryman Bevil Mabey CBE
Born 16 April 1916
Died 27 April 2010, aged 94
Bridge-building contractor
Bevil Mabey was the driving force behind a worldrenowned company that designed and built a modular steel bridge that could be erected rapidly in the
most inaccessible and toughest of landscapes. It
became the successor to the wartime Bailey bridge.
Thousands of the company’s steel-kit bridges with a
U-shaped frame have been constructed in rough
terrain in developing countries, and have helped British,
US and Nato troops in establishing lines of communication in offensive and peacekeeping operations.
In November 2009 the company provided a 50mspan bridge that was rapidly constructed over the River
Derwent in one week by the Royal Engineers to
reconnect the town of Workington in Cumbria after the
Northside Bridge was closed for fear of collapse in a
devastating flood.
Mabey’s company also built some of Britain’s most
notable permanent steel box-girder bridges, including
the Erskine Bridge over the Clyde in Glasgow, and the
Avonmouth Viaduct.
Bevil Mabey at Buckingham Palace
As a soldier in the Allied campaign in Italy during
the Second World War, Mabey saw the Bailey bridge
being deployed in operations such as the battle for
Monte Cassino, and was impressed by the speed at
which it was erected by Royal Engineers.
When he returned after the war to run his father’s
construction business, Mabey and Johnson, he started
to invest in research and development to improve Sir
Donald Bailey’s original concept for civilian use.
He developed a bridge that was lighter, had fewer
components, had twice the loading capability, could be
built to longer spans and had a much longer life. Like
its wartime forebear, it could still be constructed rapidly
with a minimum of equipment. It was also less noisy
than the traditional Bailey bridge, and needed less
maintenance.
The bridge was ideal for use in developing countries
where heavy installation equipment was limited and
road access poor. Its components could be brought in
by Land Rover, and the bridge could be built mainly
by hand. The company still exports around £50 million
worth of bridges each year.
In the 1980s Mabey came full circle when he began
to negotiate with the British Army to supply it with his
bridges. At this point the Army’s traditional Bailey
bridge was still in commission, though it had been
rarely used.
7
In operations where rapid bridge building was
needed, such as for the re-establishment of communications in Bosnia in the mid 1990s, the old Bailey
bridge was found to be too expensive to build, and
required continual maintenance by engineers.
Mabey’s Logistics Support Bridge (LSB) was used in
the UN relief operations in Bosnia to replace blown-up
bridges, and could be built by Royal Engineers in 11
hours. It was often used as a temporary bridge while
permanent structures were built underneath or repaired. The bridge could then be taken down and built
elsewhere. However, many of the bridges have remained in place and are still in use.
After its success in Bosnia, the bridge was widely
used by American and British forces in Iraq and
Afghanistan. Today it is the only Nato-approved lineof-communication bridge.
Bevil Guy Mabey was born in Richmond, North
Yorkshire, in 1916. He was educated at Tonbridge School
and St Catharine’s College, Cambridge, where he read
Anthropology, Archaeology and History. During the war
he served in France, North Africa, Sicily, Italy, Yugoslavia and Greece.
After joining the family business in 1946, Mabey
started to buy up Bailey bridge components from army
surplus depots to sell to contractors. He soon saw the
potential of providing a complete steel modular bridge
package for use in highway structures during the roadbuilding boom which began in the late 1950s. He was
not a trained engineer, but had an intuitive understanding of engineering principles, allied to a keen eye
for business opportunities.
In 1966 he bought the ailing Fairfield Shipbuilding
and Engineering Company, preserving 300 jobs in
South Wales. This business specialised in building
small rail bridges, and with its heavier steel fabricating
equipment Mabey was able to expand into much larger
structures. As well as the Erskine Bridge (1971) and the
Avonmouth Viaduct (1975), the company built a large
section of the Humber Bridge (1981), and the Britannia
Bridge in Anglesey (1980). More recently it has provided
46 bridges for the M6 Toll (2003), and constructed the
new 200m-span Usk Crossing in Newport (2004).
Mabey’s philosophy was to continue to invest in
research into higher-grade steel, and to improve equipment and production techniques at the company’s two
factories, at Chepstow in Monmouthshire and Lydney in
8
the Forest of Dean. In the 1970s he developed new
steel panels that were twice as strong and much more
efficient but still completely interchangeable with the
old bridge design. In 1988 he made a big investment
in robotics for the welding of bridge components.
As well as the small modular structures which have
been a great success in remote areas of countries such
as Papua New Guinea and Ghana, the company has
built large highway bridges and flyovers including
projects in Central America, the Caribbean and in the
Far East. The bridges have been exported to more than
80 countries.
Mabey was appointed CBE in 1984 for services to
export, and the company has won six Queen’s Awards
for Export Achievement, in 1973, 1978, 1982, 1987,
1998 and 2002. On the back of these successes the
company diversified into areas such as ground engineering products for sale or hire into construction
markets worldwide.
Mabey was noted for his charitable donations. He
founded the Madeline Mabey Trust in Britain, the Bevil
Mabey Educational Trust in the Philippines and the
Caribbean Trust in Central America. He also funded
building projects at St Catharine’s College and, as a
keen rower in his youth, the re-equipment of its boat
club. He also funded new buildings at Tonbridge School.
He still attended the office regularly into his late
eighties but, as Mabey entered his final year, a shadow
fell over the company when it was the subject of a
legal case brought by the Serious Fraud Office for
corruption overseas after the passing of an anti-bribery
law in Britain in 2001. It was found guilty of trying to
influence officials in Ghana and Jamaica in the 1990s
and of breaching UN sanctions in Iraq in 2001 and
2002, although there was no suggestion that Bevil Mabey
was personally involved in any improper conduct.
In 2009 the company pleaded guilty to overseas
corruption and breaching UN sanctions in Iraq and was
fined £3.5 million. New management was put in place
and the company’s procedures overseas have since
been changed by Bevil’s son, David Mabey.
His wife predeceased him. He is survived by his son
and five daughters.
Supplied by the Mabey Group
Membership
2009 - 2010
Scholarships
and Bursaries
General Education
Martha Dickson
Sir John Cass Red Coat School, Stepney
Emily Westphal
Christ’s Hospital School
Art
There were eight admissions to the Livery during the
year: Hugo Cannon, Teresa Fras, Ben Gibbon and Edward
Rudd pictured above and Berkeley Edwards, Melissa
Rea, Miranda Nevin and Nicholas Sykes, pictured below.
All had joined the Company through Patrimony and
two (Rudd & Nevin) were members of the Wine Trade.
Following the Company’s decision to only hold one
Court of Binding per year, 2010 saw the first intake in
January. Once ‘bound’ to the Company, the 13 new
members were escorted to Guildhall by the Livery Secretary and Archivist where they received their Freedom
of the City. Returning to Vintners’ Hall, they were given
a tour of the main rooms followed by lunch.
Those admitted were:
Colin Dow
Amelia Grenfell
Philippa Grenfell
Robin Grenfell
Roger Hodgson
Dr Rachel Macfarlane
Hannah Mitchell
Giles Nicholes
Rebecca Pattinson
James Hender
Elizabeth Hicks (Wine Trade)
Simon McMurtrie (Wine Trade)
Giles Smith Walker (Wine Trade)
At the end of June 2010, the Livery and Court totalled
338, and the Freedom 185.
Wine Label Award
Aiko Nakada
City & Guilds of London Art School
The Alan Coldwells Bursary
Greencoat School Stepney
Wine
The Vintners’ Scholar (at Diploma Level)
Lydia Harrison (Majestic)
The Vintners’ Bursaries (at Advanced Certificate
Level)
Monica Callinan (Nelson Wine Company)
Victoria Burt (Majestic)
Alexandra Tilling (Bancroft Wines)
General
The Davies/Langton Memorial Award
RTR Benevolent Fund (Afghanistan)
9
Court Visit to Rioja
24th-28th May 2010
Despite our collective years spent in the wine trade,
many of the touring party, including me, had never
visited Rioja before. Like latter-day men from Havana,
a wave of Panama hats passed serenely through
Stansted. Before long the Vintners’ party arrived in a
sunny Bilbao to make the journey inland to the small
town of Santo Domingo de la Calzada, and our comfortable Parador hotel. Our introduction to the Rioja
region was fittingly made that evening at a dinner
hosted by José Luis Lapuente, the Secretario General
of the Consejo Regulador D.O.Ca. Rioja – the region’s
controlling body.
Our first port of call was in the picturesque thirteenthcentury village of Briones. Here we met Miguel Merino
at his tiny eponymous winery situated in a 200-yearold house in the heart of the village. The engaging
Miguel started the business in 1994,
after ‘falling in
love with wine’
and learning impeccable English
in South Carolina.
He and his son
lovingly make some
30,000 bottles annually from grapes
grown only in the
hilly, chalky soils
surrounding Briones.
Most of the grapes
ejo Regulador
in the nine hectares
With the Cons
of vineyards are Tempranillo, though there
is some Graciano
grown for its tannins and vivacity, and also some
Mazuelo – a late ripening variety, related to Carignan,
that gives intense, herbal flavours.
The tour of the cellars revealed some of Miguel’s
unconventional yet effective methods, such as wet
towels wrapped around the steel tanks to keep them
cool during fermentation, and barrels made using
American oak staves, but French oak barrel ends, so as
to get the best of both styles.
Finca Allende is housed in the elegant Plaza Ibarra,
10
built in 1675 and restored recently by the owner
Miguel Angel de Gregorio. It ‘declares to be different’,
with a very terroir-based philosophy, and makes wine
from 92 separate plots in the Rioja Alta sub-zone, all
with north or north-east orientations to catch the
cooling Atlantic influence.
We were shown around this understated property
by French-born Natalie Leboeuf. She explained that
Allende produces around 300,000 bottles each year.
Most of the wines are made from Tempranillo, with
some Graciano and Garnacha, and with the whites
coming from Viura and Malvasia. The winery boasts an
impressive array of modern equipment for pressing and
fermenting, and deep in the underground cellar the
barrels, made almost exclusively from French oak, are
stored in natural cool temperatures for an average of
two years. One of the highlights of the tasting, apart
from the excellence of the
wines, was the use in the
tasting notes of a word
that was new to the entire group – retro-olfaction,
the exhalation of air
through the nose whilst
wine is in the mouth, in
order to enhance the
tasting experience. Past
Master Demery wished
he had had this word in
his tasting lexicon years
ago, to impress the
Palace!
Dinastía Vivanco,
on the outskirts of
Briones, is not so much
a winery as a statement – a shrine to wine, culture,
and history. Rafael Vivanco shares his family’s desire to
give visitors a veritable wine experience. Although the
Vivanco family started winemaking in the region in
1915, the winery was only built in 1983, and whilst
the cellars are impressive, the Museo de la Cultura del
Vino was the highlight of our visit. This museum was
started in 2004 and is continually being added to and
extended. With items ranging from a vast wooden
wine press of 1790 to a collection of thousands of
corkscrews, this cathedral to wine culture, heritage,
and art would keep even wine infidels interested for
Museo de la Cultura del Vino
contrast to visit one of the major ‘branded’ names of
days – and we had but two hours. No trip to Rioja is
Rioja. Marqués de Riscal sits alongside the winery
complete without a visit to Dinastía Vivanco, an extrahotel designed by Frank Gehry, famed
ordinary testimony to one family’s visfor his Guggenheim Museum in Bilion, and desire to promote wine culture
bao. The hotel building, with its
and education.
One of the highlights of silvers and pinks and weird shapes,
Wednesday, 26th May, started
incongruously dominates the traditwith a visit to two of the wineries that
the tasting … was the
ional Spanish village of Elciego. Our
comprise the Eguren Group. The first
use in the tasting notes
guide, Carlos Ulibarri, escorted us
was Viñedos de Páganos, nestling
of a word that was
around the production facilities that
under the hills of the Sierra Cantabria.
Our host Marcos Eguren was joined by
new to the entire group churn out 4.5 million bottles a year,
and the barrel hall that houses 25,000
Valvanera Valero, who had recently
– retro-olfaction, the
American oak barrels stacked six high.
worked in banking in Canary Wharf,
Rather more interesting was the old
but had done her WSET exams and
exhalation of air
now has her heart set on becoming an
through the nose whilst vaulted cellar underneath the original
bodega building dating from 1860.
MW. We were escorted through the
wine is in the mouth
Here, in a cathedral-like atmosphere,
labyrinthine underground chalk cellars,
some 4 million bottles age. In the heart
that seemed as if they had been dug
of this damp, claustrophobic cellar is the inner sanctum,
out by the Romans but had in fact been constructed in
housing on wooden racks around 150,000 bottles of
the 1990s. Here over 3,000 barrels age the wines from
ancient vintages, the oldest of which dates from 1862.
the 160 hectares owned by the Eguren family, who
It was fascinating to see the contrast of ancient and
have been making wine in Rioja for five generations.
modern.
Emerging from the dark cellars, we were shown their
Viñedos del Contino sits alongside a bend in the
flagship ‘La Nieta’ vineyard, a one hectare plot that
River Ebro, which provides a unique microclimate for
expresses the very best of the Tempranillo grape.
this single-vineyard terroir-driven 62-hectare estate. It
Thence to the sleepy village of San Vicente, whose
has been in the hands of the founding family since
eponymous winery Señorio de San Vicente houses
1973, although now half of it is owned by the large
some ancient vats and a 700-year-old wooden press.
CVNE Group. Jesús Madrazo, our genial host, is the son
The tour through the cellar finally led us into the
of the founder and also the winemaker, and is clearly
tasting room with a huge circular table, the centre of
proud of the handsome estate complete with relaxing
which rotated so that wines could be sent round the
courtyard and gardens. The name Contino derives from
group, rather like at a Chinese restaurant. Valvanera
a corps of Royal Bodyguards that protected the Catholic
had gone to a lot of trouble to make us feel welcome,
monarchs in ancient times. One of the Contino commwith detailed tasting sheets complete with the
anders had been given the estate as a gift.
Vintners’ coat of arms, and she translated for Marcos
Under the 200-year-old house is a maze of old
with wit and charm.
cellars, and a tunnel built by the Moors in the
After these small, family-owned wineries, it was a
▼
“
11
sixteenth century. Within
are 300,000 bottles, and
2,000 barrels mostly made
with French oak, but Jesús
also uses oak from Hungary
and Russia for 30% of them.
Having conducted the fascinating tour, Jesús invited
us to taste the small range of
wines he had prepared, while
he went to pick up his daughter from school. This excellent range of single-estate
wines was concluded by a
magnum of 1978 Reserva –
the winery’s first vintage.
Dinner that night was at the famous Marqués de
Riscal Restaurante Gastronómico. What the amazing
location and strangely sterile decor lacked in ambience,
the quality of the food made up for. Good humour
abounded, with the Master laughing uncontrollably at
his own (unfinished) jokes!
Our final day in Rioja began in Logroño, and one of
Rioja’s largest enterprises, Bodegas Campo Viejo. Here
we were expertly shown around by Karine Euvrard and
Javier Elizalde. The winery was founded just over 50
years ago, and Campo Viejo soon became one of the
most recognised brands in the developing Spanish
wine market. It is now an integral part of the large
international Pernod Ricard Group.
On top of a substantial hill overlooking Logroño
and the River Ebro, Campo Viejo constructed a
purpose-built winery and cellar complex in 2001.
Despite its size, this still manages to be aesthetically
pleasing. Our tour began with an instructional video
that explained the Rioja region and the winemaking
process. Thence we were
taken outside to survey the
vineyards, and learn that the
company draws grapes from
2,500 hectares, of which it
owns 300. It buys the rest
from 500 different growers
in all three of Rioja’s subzones.
With Roberto, the young
and charismatic winemaker, we descended into
the bowels of the hillside,
through massive oak doors
5 metres high, to see the hall full of over 300 stainless
steel tanks, and bar-coded metal crates that house the
6 million bottles ageing at any one time. If this was not
impressive enough, the sight of 70,000 barrels quietly
slumbering in dimly-lit rows, as far as the eye could
see, was spectacular.
In the modern and well-equipped tasting room we
enjoyed a range of wines from this internationally
famous brand, ending with their excellent flagship
wine Dominio de Campo Viejo, made from the five best
vineyard plots.
After encountering Goliath, it was time to meet
David – or should we say Juan. Bodegas Casa Juan is
situated in the heart of the village of Laguardia, and is
tiny. It is thus a fascinating contrast to the might of
Campo Viejo. Angel Escudero, the owner, is a friend of
Assistant Sykes, who imports Casa Juan’s wines into
the UK. The tour was conducted in a cross between
French, Spanish, and Franglais, but was sufficient for us
to learn that although the winery had been in situ for
over 100 years, Angel and his three brothers had only
bought it in 1995. Using old wooden presses, concrete
n Vicente
Tasting at Sa
Marqués de Riscal
12
“
… it was characterised by laughter and bonhomie, and when accompanied by warm
sunny weather, great hospitality and excellent Rioja wines, it made for a perfect blend.
cal at
Getting techni
ntino
Viñedos del Co
vats, carbonic maceration techniques, and manual
treading of the ‘cap’, in the old cellar that used to be
the town’s bakery, Angel makes Rioja wines in the
most traditional way. There was a charm, warmth, and
intensity about the place that was infectious. Bizarrely,
Angel also pays homage to his love of West Africa, with
an exhibition of artefacts, paintings, and knick-knacks
from the Ivory Coast!
In the tasting room that doubles as Angel’s kitchen
and dining room, the Master handed
over the Vintners’ scroll. Angel was
touched, and said that he didn’t
know the Vintners were so important. ‘Neither did we,’ one Court wag
was heard to mutter!
Our Riojan adventure ended in
the village of Haro, at Bodegas
Muga, one of Rioja’s most traditional
wineries, run by the Muga family
since 1932. It produces around 1.5
million bottles a year, and part of its
uniqueness is that all the wines are
fermented in oak vats instead of the
more modern stainless steel. Jesús Tasting with Angel
Viguera, our affable host, believes
that this gives the wines greater
ageing potential. The cellar houses 14,000 oak barrels,
and includes the only winery-owned cooperage in
Spain, employing four coopers. The process of ‘fining’
the wine in barrel (clearing the wine of sediment and
other substances, to make it clear) is done using
egg whites, and we saw the contraption that
separates the whites from at least 38,000 eggs
gas Muga
each year. A traditional Riojan lunch ended the
Lunch at Bode
visit.
The UK is Rioja’s most important and favourite market, and this Master’s visit was a
great way to inform our hosts about the
Vintners’ Company and its ancient association
with the British wine trade. Additionally it was
characterised by laughter and bonhomie, and
when accompanied by warm sunny weather,
great hospitality and excellent Rioja wines, it
made for a perfect blend.
Michael Cox
Swan Warden
13
A Fifteenth-Century
Vintner of London
St Mary’s church, Barton on Humber, contains the
near-life-size monumental brass of Simon Seman, a
member of the Vintners’ Company, who died in 1433.
Few of the Company’s own archives survive this
early, but the Latin inscription describes him as a
citizen and vintner of London, and also as an
Alderman.
Seman is shown in civil dress, standing on two tuns of
wine, the symbol of his trade. From his mouth issues a
prayer scroll, Credo quod redemptor meus vivit. Four
shields with his merchant’s mark (two now missing)
are in the corners of the slab, and around the whole
composition is a marginal inscription with the symbols
of the four Evangelists at the corners.
Seman’s career and brass have been described and
published recently by Jessica Freeman and Nigel Saul
in London and the Kingdom. Essays in Honour of Caroline M Barron (Harlaxton Medieval Studies volume XVI,
2008). He came from Barton, a port which in his day
was in steep decline as the result of changes in the
wool trade, and the growth of Hull, which had the
benefit of much deeper waters. Like his famous nearcontemporary Richard Whittington, he decided to leave
the provinces, and to make his fortune in the capital.
He first appears in London’s records in 1416, perhaps in his late twenties, as a juror in an enquiry as to
the boundaries of Bridge Ward. By 1421 he was renting
a tenement and two shops at Botolph Wharf, below
London Bridge. This is likely to be where he stored his
imported wine before selling it on. Four years later he
bought the lease of a property in Bishopsgate for 40
shillings a year. This is probably where he actually
lived. If it was the same property as was sold by his
widow Agnes in 1457, it was a substantial estate,
consisting of two houses, a garden with a gatehouse
“
with chamber above, meadowland, a pond and a well.
The first mention of his trading activities is in March
1417, when he and six others petitioned for the restitution of the cargo of the ship Le Petyr of Dartmouth.
This ship had sunk loaded with wine from Bordeaux in
a storm at the entrance to the Thames. The cargo had
then been pillaged by sailors from Norfolk, Suffolk and
Lincolnshire. At this date the wine fleets sailed from
France twice a year, in the late autumn with vintage
wines, and after Candlemas (2 February) with more
mature wines.
Thereafter he appears frequently in the London
Customs accounts. On just one day in December 1431,
for example, three ships unloaded thirteen tuns of his
wine, while on 29 January 1433 four ships arrived with
his cargo of 29 tuns, four pipes and 34 hogsheads. (A
hogshead was 63 gallons; two of them made a pipe;
and two pipes made a tun.) Foreign trade had its problems however. In 1427 the ship La Marie of Dordrecht
in Holland was seized by Dutchmen while carrying
Rhine wines for him, and a commission of his fellow
London merchants had to be convened to assess the
value of the wine, and any additional damages he had
suffered.
Seman is known to have sold wine to at least one
provincial vintner, in Worcestershire, and also to have
dealt as a sideline in cloth, quernstones and barrels of
soap. By 1418 he was rich enough to be one of the
London merchants agreeing to a loan to King Henry V.
From c.1410 onwards, he will also have been one of the
leading members of the Vintners’ Company. He took on
two apprentices, William Bentley and Stephen Haradyn,
and was a trustee of the charitable property bequeathed by John Wakele in 1407 which eventually came to
the Company in 1439. At least two other trustees are
known to have been Masters of the Company, though
However he did not neglect his civic duties. Among other work, he served three times in
the 1420s on a jury enquiring into immorality in London, most of those accused being
chantry priests!
14
copyright Monumental Brass Society
the list of known Masters only commences in 1427. It seems highly likely
that Seman too was Master, some time
in the mid 1420s.
He was Alderman of Bishopsgate
Ward from 1422 until his death, and a
Sheriff in 1424-5. The City records reveal
that he tended to be absent regularly
from meetings of the Court of Aldermen
in the months of March-May and October.
Most vintners travelled to Bordeaux or the
Rhineland once or twice a year to buy
wine. However he did not neglect his civic
duties. Among other work, he served three
times in the 1420s on a jury enquiring into
immorality in London, most of those
accused being chantry priests!
Seman’s monumental brass was not
made in Lincolnshire, but in London. It was
then sent to Barton, probably by ship. Both
its size and its design were meant to impress. Seman was proud of his profession as
a vintner, and of how he had made good.
The casks and the merchant’s marks were
intended to stress his commercial success.
His portrayal in civil dress was also deliberate, emphasising his importance as a merchant and leader of the City. He was not landed
gentry, so could not be shown in armour, but
he could be shown in fashionable London
dress, almost life-size.
Many wealthy Londoners asked to be
buried in the parish of their youth, and they
would often make generous bequests to local
churches and poor relief. Unfortunately Seman’s
own will remains untraced.
Stephen Freeth
Company Archivist
Simon Seman’s
memorial brass,
1433.
Note the barrels
under his feet
15
Being Independent
by Assistant Patrick Sandeman
Charles Lea and I started Lea & Sandeman back in
March 1988, with firm objectives and a pretty clear
idea as to what we wanted to do. After twenty-two
years, the wine trade has undergone a number of
changes, and we are both a great deal older, but our
objectives have remained almost exactly the same,
and we have achieved much of what we set out to
do. What we need now is to make some money, so
that we can think about the possibility of retiring!
We modelled ourselves on the old-fashioned wine
merchants who provided both quality and service, but
with a keen eye on making a margin and not getting
too bogged down by tradition. Certainly not hobbyists,
neither of us were starting the new venture with a pile
made in another business; but we were definitely
business-minded with a love of wine.
Like so many small businesses, we started in a
back room with a telephone, a typewriter, a few old
ledgers, a second-hand van, a rented warehouse and
a list of contacts to sell to. Having both cut our teeth in
the trade at Laytons, where we met (Charles was
buying, I was selling), a number of doors were immediately closed to us, both abroad when trying to buy
and at home when trying to sell. But our perseverance
paid off, and within six months we were trading both
healthily and profitably. This enabled us to go to the
bank and obtain a loan with which to open our first
retail premises, in the Fulham Road, Chelsea.
Over the past two decades we have experienced
16
two recessions, and seen many businesses come and
go, both big and small, but somehow have managed to
continue our slow but steady growth. Today we have
four retail shops, a healthy wholesale business, an
active private customer list and a growing internet
platform. It has been hard work all the way, but not
without a little fun too. London is the most competitive
and sophisticated market for wine in the world. This
makes it all the more difficult for new businesses and
new wines to get a foothold in the marketplace. As the
supermarkets have increased their domination of the
market, it has also become more difficult for the
independents to survive, and yet they do, and in many
quarters are even flourishing.
As independents, we feel that one of our main
responsibilities is to champion those winemakers
whose wines will never reach the supermarket shelves,
be it because they are too small, too off-beat or simply
too expensive. To this end we are almost entirely ‘antibrand’, with the exception of a chosen few of the
Grandes Marques champagnes, and of course Bordeaux
chateaux, many of which have become brands in their
own rights. This is what our own ‘brand’, Lea &
Sandeman, has become known for.
Whilst we have become better known over the
years, we still find ourselves taken aback by the ‘establishment’ image that our name conjures up with so
many people. We are still very much Charles Lea and
Patrick Sandeman selling wine for a living. We still do
many of the same things that we did when we started,
“
Possibly the greatest thing about being independent is that we are beholden to no-one
(with the possible exception of the bank), and have never allowed one supplier or one
customer to become too influential in our business.
▼
Being independent can be tremfrom the buying in winemakers’
endous fun too. The buying trips are
cellars through to selling, whether on
often the most fun, even if they can
the telephone, in a restaurant or across
be extremely hard work. Many people
the counter. But somehow today there
are never enough hours in the day,
scoff at the notion of tasting wine as
days in the week, or weeks in the
being ‘hard work’, but those who
year. There is just so much more to do.
have spent day after day tasting
Possibly the greatest thing about
young and unready wines from cask
being independent is that we are
in cold cellars in the dead of winter or
beholden to no-one (with the possible
perhaps, worst of all, searched for a
exception of the bank). We have never
new Pinot Grigio at a trade fair, will
allowed one supplier or one customer
sympathise.
to become too influential in our businI am fortunate enough to buy
ess. We can react relatively quickly to
wine from Italy. While it is a country
changing circumstances and tastes,
capable of making some of the worst
Patrick Sandeman
and have quite often found ourselves
wine in Europe (aka Pinot Grigio), it
also produces some of the world’s
ahead of the market when it comes to
introducing new wines, simply because
most sublime wines, in the most beauwe make our own decisions and are prepared to take
tiful countryside and with wonderful food to match. So
the risk ourselves. We do, however, take our responsibit will be no great surprise to learn that many of our
ility to our suppliers and our customers very seriously,
Italian suppliers have become good friends.
and many of both have been with us from almost the
One of my greatest finds comes from a very old
very day we started the business.
estate on the coast of Tuscany, which prior to my visit
Competition is fierce, and as an independent the
had never shown its wines to a foreigner. I happened
only way to survive is to specialise in everything you
to visit on one of the very rare occasions that my wife,
do, without compromise. Not only do we offer the best
Katie, had joined me on a buying trip. After a great deal
quality for the price, which is a far cry from being the
of driving around this massive but beautiful farming
most expensive, but also the best quality service,
estate, and knocking on farmworkers’ doors, disturbing
which is often the most expensive to provide. The
their siestas, we eventually found a fine old building
wines we buy require hand-selling, because they are
with the smallest of signs at the door saying ‘Ufficio’.
often unique and sometimes unheard of, and they are
We pressed a tiny button and heard a bell ringing in
capable of offering something exciting and illuminating,
the distance. After a long interval, we heard the unnot unlike discovering an author or piece of music for
mistakable sound of high heels walking across a stone
the first time. This is what makes an independent truly
floor. The door was opened by a true vision of beauty
independent, and successful. Those that bravely, but
dressed in the simplest white nurse’s coat, bearing a
forlornly, set out to take on the chains and the supersmile that you could fall into. I stuttered my business
markets by selling similar discounted brands are, in my
in schoolboy Italian and we were led down a long
opinion, doomed to failure.
corridor to a small and very old-fashioned office, overMy greatest bugbear today is the onerous level of
looking the estate, and asked to take a seat. After a
‘compliance’, not only for the amount of management
few moments the nurse returned pushing a wheeltime it requires, but also for the additional cost to the
chair, in which was seated an impeccably well-dressed
business. Most of it seems to be yet more stealth tax;
gentleman. He introduced himself in Italian as Gian
it often feels like we are working for the tax man rather
Annibale Rossi di Medelana Serafini Ferri (thankfully
than ourselves. The larger brand owners and brand
known as ‘Pucci’), owner of Castello del Terriccio, and
sellers are faced with the same compliance issues,
proceeded very politely to ‘interview’ me in Italian.
probably more, yet I suspect their higher margins allow
Who was I? What was my business? How had I heard
them to deal with them with more ease.
of the estate? And so on. After a good twenty
17
minutes of me answering as best I could in poor Italian,
Pucci said in the most perfect English, ‘Well, Mr
Sandeman, perhaps you and your wife would like to
see the vineyards and taste the wines?’ It transpired
that he had received part of his education in England.
He had also been an Olympic level horseman before a
riding accident in his early twenties left him paraplegic.
The vineyard tour that followed was memorable,
both for the stunningly beautiful wilderness of the
estate, contrasted by the newly-planted and impeccable vineyards, as well as Pucci’s rally-style driving in
a specially-adapted old Cinquecento. The wine tasting
that followed was truly exciting. Each wine in turn
caused me to scribble furiously in my note book, my
final note being ‘This is the one!’ Having discussed our
initial order, Pucci then asked us to join him for a late
lunch. Lunch was served by yet more rather lovely
young Italian ladies, and the afternoon passed into a
wonderful haze. As we walked out onto the terrace late
in the afternoon, with only a few hours to go before
our flight from Pisa and all other appointments lost,
Katie espied the pool and wished longingly for her
costume. Pucci was quick to assure her that no costume
was necessary since none of his girls ever swam in
anything other than their natural state. As we drove
away down the long, dusty road, surrounded by beautiful countryside, peacefully grazing horses, and welltended vines, Katie turned to me and said, ‘That was
wonderful, but you are never allowed to visit Terriccio
unaccompanied!’
Long hours, hard graft, and low pay just about sum
up the independent wine trade, but there is an upside
too: the people you meet, the wines you taste, the
satisfaction of discovering and introducing new wines
to your customers, and of course the knowledge that
what you do brings pleasure to so many. It all leads to
job satisfaction that many people in this frenetic world,
especially in London, have all but forgotten. The
dilemma of being an independent wine merchant is
perhaps best encapsulated in a brief piece of repartee
with one of my greatest friends, a senior partner in a
successful law firm. He leaned across the table after a
great deal of port had been consumed and said, ‘Do
you know, Pat, I would love to have your job,’ to which
the only retort could be, ‘And I would love to have your
salary.’
Common Hall 2010
In 1990 the Master, Guy Gordon Clark, revived the
practice of holding a Common Hall, after a gap of
some 200 years, with the aim of informing the Livery
about important aspects of Company business.
The records do not show why this was not repeated
until 1997. In that year Jim Hood, Master, convened a
Common Hall with the primary purpose of eliciting the
Livery’s views on the advancement of Lady Freemen
to the Livery.
In 2009 the Court decided to reinstate Common
Hall as an annual occasion. Its aims were not dissimilar
to those of 1990, but with the addition, from the neglected provisions of the 1612 Charter, of the election, by
the Membership, of the Master and Wardens for the
ensuing year.
Common Hall this year was held on 11th May 2010,
with presentations from:
● The Clerk – An Overview of the Year
● Past Master Demery – The Vintners’ Foundation –
The New Charitable Structure
18
●
The Renter Warden and Past Master Robson – Finance
Liveryman Alderman Dr Parmley – ‘The Road to
Mansion House’.
The Master then responded to questions submitted
in advance, and took further questions from the floor.
Those attending then elected the Master and
Wardens for 2010-2011, before enjoying a light supper.
Common Hall undoubtedly provides an unrivalled
opportunity to be briefed on and gain insight into Company affairs, not least the Company’s financial situation. This had been the subject of frequent enquiry in
the past.
It is interesting to note that the attendance this
year, at 70, was less than the 84 who attended in
1990. As attendance is now also open to Freemen, this
represents only 17% of the Active Membership. I very
much hope that more members will attend next year.
They will find Common Hall interesting, enjoyable and
above all, informative.
●
The Clerk
Master’s Day Out
Never let it be said that the Scots are a mean bunch!
That myth was comprehensively debunked by the
Master and Lorna when they entertained all the staff,
with spectacular generosity, at their lovely home in
Berkshire.
It must be a daunting sight to see the entire Hall and
Office team debus outside your door, but the Dows
hardly flinched, such were the preparations they had
made to ensure that everyone was looked after superbly. They had even pressed two sons into waiter
service to help.
With no shortage of liquid refreshment, and in
beautiful sunshine, the team were soon feeling little
pain, evidenced by Alex, who plunged into the pool –
the only one to do so!
Having been alerted to the Hall staff’s enormous
appetites, Lorna had laid on a sumptuous lunch, with
the Master wishing he was the Master Butcher, such
was the demand for his carving skills on a sizeable
chunk of beef.
Croquet (and more refreshments) followed and, as
with all good parties, there was a reluctance to leave,
and absolute silence on the bus back to the Hall.
We cannot thank the Master and Lorna enough for
giving us all not only a great day, but a great year.
Steve Marcham
General Manager
The Master, Mistress and the Staff
19
‘The Road to Mansion House’
by Liveryman Alderman Dr Andrew Parmley
ority, and include our own bespoke Police Force
(which has several national responsibilities including fraud and white-collar crime); the Barbican Centre (the City is the third largest funder of
the Arts in the UK after the Government and the
BBC); libraries; highways; planning; Social Services;
refuse collection; economic development (working to
So, how do you get to Mansion House? Why would you
build the economic, environmental and social fabric of
want to be Lord Mayor?
the surrounding boroughs); and education, including
The City of London Corporation is the world’s oldest
supporting several Academies. City’s Cash, the City’s
continuous municipal democracy in existence. It operprivate fund, provides open spaces, both the 150 green
ates on a non-party-political basis. The Lord Mayor is
sites within the City and a further 10,000 acres of open
its head. He is supported by the staffs of Mansion
space throughout Greater London; the promotion of the
House and Guildhall, by his Sheriffs and by the Courts
financial City (including the Mayoralty); the three City
of Aldermen and Common Council. He also wears many
of London Schools; the Guildhall School of Music &
other hats including Chancellor of City University, AdmDrama; and three of our world-famous
iral of the Port of London and ambasswholesale and retail food markets –
ador for the financial and commercial
Billingsgate, Smithfield and LeadenCity, and he is the head of the Livery
With such a variety of
hall. The Bridge House Trust provides
movement – probably the largest philfor the maintenance and eventual
anthropic organisation in the world.
responsibilities, who
replacement of the City’s five bridges.
Let me remind readers of some of
wouldn’t
want
to
be
A healthy surplus allows the Trust to
the Corporation’s responsibilities and
make approximately £15 million of
involvement. A fellow Alderman once
Lord Mayor, and take
charitable grants annually.
likened the Corporation to a Class A
the credit for the City’s
The list of the City’s responsibdrug (and he should know, being a
success?
ilities goes on and on, including: the
Magistrate!) – the more one knows
Animal Reception Centre at Heathrow;
about it, the more one needs to know.
improvements to the street scene; 94
Involvement in the civic City is addmiles of the tidal Thames; 2,700 units of housing stock
ictive. Be warned!
in six London boroughs; and licensing Vietnamese potThe Corporation provides local government services
bellied pigs!
for the financial and commercial heart of Britain, the
With such a variety of responsibilities, who wouldn’t
City of London. However its responsibilities extend far
want to be Lord Mayor, and take the credit for the City’s
beyond the Square Mile, and it provides a host of
success?
additional facilities for the benefit of the nation. It has
The local authority consists of one hundred Common
several sources of income: the City Fund (made up of
Councilmen, twenty-five Aldermen, each one represgrants, council tax, business rates,
enting one of the
plus some rents and reserves); City’s
twenty-five electCash (private funds built up over
Mansion House
oral Wards within
eight centuries, mainly from propthe Square Mile,
erty, supplemented by investment
and two Sheriffs.
earnings); and the Bridge House
One
Sheriff
is
Trust (the investment of income
usually an Alderman
dating back to the rents paid on the
‘training’ to be Lord
original London Bridge).
Mayor. The other is
City Fund activities comprise
usually an enthusthe work of the City Corporation as
iastic and energetic
a local authority and police authThere is an old joke beloved of Manhattan
workers. An elderly lady approaches a workman
digging in the street and asks, ‘Young man, how
do I get to Carnegie Hall?’ The man leans on his
spade and replies, ‘Practise, Lady. Just practise!’
“
20
The Lord Mayor’s Coac
h
Liveryman who will devote himself or herself to the
office, but probably not seek further involvement in the
Corporation.
Elections for Common Councilmen and Aldermen
are conducted in much the same way as in any other
local authority, except that the electorate are a mixture
of local residents and representatives of the business
City. In order to stand for election as a ‘Commoner’, a
candidate has to have the right to vote in the City, must
be validly nominated and must conduct a successful
campaign amongst the voters. The term of office is four
years. Aldermen are elected for six years. They must
be at least 18 years old, a British subject, a Freeman of
the City and, at the time of nomination and election,
be considered suitable by the Lord Chancellor’s Advisory Committee for appointment as a JP on the City
Bench. Both Aldermen and Common Councilmen are
fully represented on the Corporation’s many (and
fascinating) committees; in addition the Aldermen
represent the Lord Mayor at the Old Bailey about once
a month, and sit as Magistrates.
The Livery are an essential ingredient in the civic
system. They elect the Sheriffs at ‘Common Hall’ in
Guildhall on Midsummer’s Day in June each year.
Although by convention at least one Sheriff is from the
Aldermen, as already said, the Sheriffs are of equal
standing and, once in office, divide their time between
the Old Bailey and escorting the Lord Mayor. Prior to
Common Hall, the Court of Aldermen decides which of
its members it wishes to place before the Livery for
election.
Candidates for election as Lord Mayor must be
serving Aldermen and must have served as a Sheriff of
the City. The Court of Aldermen elects the Lord Mayor
from two names chosen by the Livery at a second
Common Hall, in September each year. The Court’s
primary duty is to encourage, promote and secure the
best possible candidate to be Lord Mayor, and to do it
well in advance – the Mayoralty requires substantial
planning!
What is the role of the ‘Great Twelve’ in this process? The Court of Aldermen is very keen to encourage
more candidates to come forward, and looks to the
Livery to help seek out suitable future Lord Mayors from
amongst their members. For centuries all Lord Mayors
were members of the Great Twelve livery companies,
and the Court would like to encourage the Great
Twelve to lead by example, and play an active role in
the affairs of the City.
Over many centuries the Worshipful Company of
Vintners has produced its fair share of Lord Mayors.
Unlike the New Yorker explaining how to get to Carnegie Hall (and speaking as a Musician!), I know that it
takes more than practice to become Lord Mayor. It helps
to have a record of high professional achievement,
leadership, drive and commitment, and good public
speaking ability. It also helps if you are socially at ease,
articulate, diplomatic and politically astute, with a
detailed understanding of the workings of the business
City. You will also need resilience, grit, common sense
and the ‘common touch’ - all qualities that most Vintners exude. It could be you next!
21
Guildhall
The Vintners’ Company and
Veterans Aid Walk in Epernay
On a perfect, balmy, summer’s evening, the walkers assembled for the first time in the idyllic garden at
Pol Roger, where Hubert de Billy and Patrice Noyelle
hosted a perfectly delicious buffet supper, accompanied
by quantities of Pol Roger champagne and Joseph
Drouhin Chorey-les-Beaune 2007. We
were also able to meet four ‘graduates’
r
ge
Ro
l
of the VA system, Dennis, Jephas, Mick
The planning committee,
Po
Supper with
and Simon. They would both walk with
made up of Liverymen
us, and provide administrative support
James Simpson, Guy
in their minibus. After we had thanked
Nightingale and Richard
both hosts, and presented Hubert de
Wilson, Freeman Tom
Billy with a Vintners’ Company silver
Fortune, the Clerk and the
tastevin, Hugh Milroy, VA’s Chief ExecGeneral Manager met in
utive, briefed and encouraged all the
early 2009 with the aim of
walkers on the good cause they
providing a ‘Money Can’t
would be raising money for the next
Buy’ experience for around
day.
100 walkers, over the
So at 8am on a grey Saturday morning, the Clerk
weekend of 11th-13th June
and the General Manager were delighted to see a
2010.
100% turnout at the Hotel de Champagne in Epernay
In 2009, the VCCF had donated a modest amount
for a final briefing
to Veterans Aid (VA), a frontline charity helping exfrom the walk marservicemen whose lives have
shals. Exactly on
been blighted by drugs, alcohol
at
time, the walkers set
and/or homelessness. The due The team
ger
llin
Bo
off on the first leg
diligence undertaken at that
over the River Marne
time indicated that Veterans Aid
to Aÿ. Here, an hour
was an ideal cause to walk for.
later, we were munExperience had shown that a
ching croissants
strong partnership would be reqand drinking refuired with the recipient charity,
and so Colonel Geoffrey Cardozo
reshing Bollinger
from VA joined the planning team.
at their beautiful
Travel, accommodation, pit
premises. We then
stops, evening entertainment and,
walked through
most importantly, the route, were
undulating vineyards
all the subject of a great deal of detailed
to Dizy, and a second
work, and by January the plan was pretty
pit stop with Chammuch in place.
pagne Gaston Chiquet,
On Friday, 11th June, 83 walkers set
hosted very generousoff for Epernay by various means, the
ly by Antoine Chiquet
largest group by Eurostar. The advice of
himself, in an elegant
Madame Lilly Bollinger was taken, that it
tent in case of bad
was never too early for a glass of chamweather.
pagne. This was generously provided by
At this stage of the
Searcy’s, the Company’s caterers, at their
Pit stop with Gaston Chiquet
walk the weather was
Champagne Bar at St Pancras.
being kind to us, but
With the success of the fundraising walk in the
Montagne de Reims in 2006 in mind, Liveryman
Peter Mason, Chairman of the Vintners’ Company
Charitable Foundation (VCCF) Committee, decided to
launch another fundraising assault on the Champagne region in 2010, this time around Epernay.
22
Lunch with Joseph Perrier
further on, after we had climbed to Hautvillers, and
paid homage at the tomb of Dom Pérignon, the heavens opened. It was only the arrival of the VA minibus
with sustenance, including some delicious BillecartSalmon Grand Cru Blanc de Blancs, that saved the day
and revived flagging spirits.
Such had been the generous hospitality so far that,
in eager anticipation and improved visibility, which
allowed us wonderful views over the Marne and canal
to Epernay, we set off on a less energetic downhill leg
to Cumières, and Joseph Perrier.
Here Martin Gamman produced an
excellent ‘grape pickers’ lunch’,
washed down of course with delicious Joseph Perrier champagne.
The Master thanked Martin and presented him with a tastevin. We were
now, rather surprisingly, running
ahead of time, so were able to enjoy
a stroll around the gardens before
setting off on the final leg along the
Marne and canal back to Epernay.
Fortified by a VA chocolate pit stop
along the way, we all arrived back at
the hotel in good shape. Not surprisingly after 20 kms,
we were met with a congratulatory glass of champagne.
If Pol Roger had given us the perfect start to the
weekend, Gosset provided the perfect finale. At their
new, elegant premises in Epernay, hosted by Patrick
Ligeron, we enjoyed Gosset Grand Rosé as an apéritif
Apéritif
with
Gosset
on the terrace in warm evening sunshine, before being
treated to a stunning supper generous in both its
quantity and quality. This was accompanied by Gosset
Grande Reserve NV, and Morgenhof 2004 (SA).
Peter Mason gave a vote of thanks to Patrick
Ligeron, and presented him with a tastevin. He
thanked all the walkers for their efforts, and presented
a cheque for £60,000 to Hugh Milroy. He also thanked
the planning committee for making it all happen.
In a remarkable and unscripted way, Jephas then
told his story, and explained
Hugh Milroy
how much the money raisand cheque
ed would mean to the work
of Veterans Aid.
Those that stayed late
then tucked into Frapin
VSOP and Chateau de
Fontpinot Cognac!
It was a truly wonderful weekend, raising a
substantial sum of money
for a very good cause. It would
not have been half as much fun without the enthusiasm of all those who walked, and all those who
supported them financially. A huge ‘thank you’ must
also go to all our hosts, who provided such generous
hospitality. The weekend will, I am sure, be long
remembered by all who took part.
The Clerk
23
Afghanistan 2009 – 2010
A Letter from the Officer Commanding D Squadron, 1 RTR
Dear Master
It hardly seems possible that I am writing this with
only a few weeks of our operational tour in Afghanistan
left to go. Time has really flown by. However we have
packed a lot into that time, and experienced almost all
of what Helmand Province has to throw at the British
Army.
The first half of our tour was a gradual build-up to
the decisive offensive which you now know as OP
MOSHTARAK. This took place in February. In the runup to that operation, the Squadron took control of an
area to the north-east of Nad e Ali which Brigade HQ
referred to as ‘The Badlands’. We approached this task
with some trepidation, but once we had taken over a
couple of local compounds as Patrol Bases, and set
about gaining a foothold with the local populace,
things progressed well. With round-the-clock air cover
and surveillance we were able to launch a number of
successful attacks on the enemy positions just opposite
the front line. We killed 15 insurgents, some of them
senior Taliban commanders within Helmand Province.
During OP MOSHTARAK proper we took some
heavy-armoured engineer assets under command,
including the TROJAN armoured mine-clearance tank.
We led the way into a number of enemy strongholds in
central Helmand, ploughing through enemy IED belts
and on one occasion using the PYTHON system to clear
a wadi. The PYTHON is a 200m-long tube of high
explosive. It is fired from a trailer on the back of the
TROJAN, and clears a 200m-long lane through any
minefield. The Squadron achieved all the tasks it was
set. These included driving a new route deep into
enemy territory to link up with an infantry company
24
from the Royal Welsh, who had carried out an air
assault at the start of the operation.
We have carried out numerous other tasks all over
Helmand including Sangin, the Bolan Desert, Goreshk
and Musa Qaleh. We consider ourselves lucky to have
had such varied experiences. Our adventures have not
been without cost though. At the time of writing Corporal Neil Bain and Trooper Paul Downing are receiving
treatment in the UK for serious injuries sustained in
two separate IED explosions. I believe they will make
a full recovery over time. I have been and continue to
be humbled by the raw and sustained courage displayed by my soldiers on a daily basis. I am also happy
to report that the characteristics for which the Regiment is renowned are at the heart of what we are
doing in Afghanistan: innovation, hardiness, vehicles
first and offensive spirit.
The work we have done in theatre would not have
been possible without selfless and sustained support
from the home front. Nowhere has this been more
manifest than that given so freely by the Vintners. From
‘Thank-a-Tankie’ parcels at Christmas and beyond to
your munificent support to our welfare team at Honington, we have been overwhelmed by your generosity, as have our loved ones. May I thank you personally
on behalf of all my officers, seniors and other ranks.
You have contributed in a demonstrable and palpable
way to our success on Operation HERRICK.
Major Mike Taylor
Officer Commanding
D Squadron 1RTR
15 May 2010
AGM, Sea Cadets
(Wandsworth, Chelsea and Fulham Unit)
This took place on 9th March 2010 at Putney Embankment, SW15. The Master and I were greeted by
the redoubtable Muriel Huxley MBE, Chairman of the
Unit, now in her 90th year! The AGM was also
attended by other members of the committee, by all
20 cadets and their parents, and by a representative
from HMS Ganges.
The meeting was chaired by the Deputy Mayor of
Wandsworth, who thanked the staff for their time and
effort in maintaining the high level of enthusiasm
amongst the cadets, and the invaluable training offered
them. Over 20% of Sea Cadets go on to join the Royal
Navy. The Chairman also commented on the increasing
age of the committee, and welcomed two parents who
had volunteered to join.
Lt Root gave the Commanding Officer’s report. He
noted the sporting success of many past
and present cadets who
have gone on to achieve
national Sea Cadet awards
in sailing and other pursuits. He also mentioned
that the Unit was fully
subscribed, restricted from
taking more cadets only by
the small number of dedicated adult staff able to
volunteer their services three
times a week: Tuesday and
Friday evenings, and all day
Sunday.
Lt Root also regretted
The Unit’s
the removal of the Cheverton motor
Rescue RIB
boat by the MOD in early March, as
(rigid inflatable
funds were no longer available to
boat)
run it. This, he noted, was in spite
of a recent generous contribution by the Vintners’
Company to have the motor boat overhauled.
The Treasurer then presented the accounts for
2008/2009. These showed a small surplus of receipts
over expenditure of £200. Income to cover the annual
Our London Area champion powerboat crew
(all girls - who then went on to Nationals)
running costs of approximately £15,000 had come
equally from three principal sources: grants; other
donations (notably from the Vintners and Leathersellers); and fundraising events.
Awards were then presented
to a number of Cadet boys and
girls. Finally, a plaque from HMS
Ganges was presented to Muriel
Huxley in recognition of the
Unit’s ongoing high achievement.
The AGM then closed, and
refreshments were taken.
Robert Rolls
Liveryman
Assisting the Association of Dunkirk Little
Ships on their passage upriver from the
tidal Thames - Molesey Lock
25
Visit to ‘A’ Squadron, 1RTR
The Vintners’ Company supports the Royal Tank
Regiment. In return, on 13 May 2010 ‘A’ Squadron
First Royal Tank Regiment (1RTR) invited members of
the Company to their base at Harman Lines, Warminster. An early start saw me driving past Stonehenge
in the only car on the road at that time of the
morning. I have not worn uniform since my School
Cadet Force, and the prospect of a day with the Army
was well outside my comfort zone.
I need not have worried. It was the most wonderful
day. Our party of some twenty Vintners was first welcomed by the Officer Commanding, Major Toby Barrington-Barnes. We were then kitted out with tankers’
black overalls, briefed, and split into two groups to
travel on to Salisbury Plain. One group would defend a
‘High-Value Target’ in a house in Imber Village; the
other would be introduced to the Challenger 2 Tank.
Then we would swap over after lunch.
I was one of those defending the house in the
morning. We were kitted out with helmets, SA80 rifles
and blank ammunition. We were also given a demonstration of various other weapons and pieces of kit,
such as hand grenades and flares. The ‘high value
target’ turned out to be the amiable Trooper Smith,
wrapped in a white bedsheet. The Army now uses
laser technology for battle training: if you are hit, a
gadget on your jacket makes a noise, and your weapon
packs up. I looked forward to it happening pretty quickly.
Blazing away
26
The house we had to defend was amongst 1960s
buildings in Imber, a village requisitioned by the Army
in 1943. These modern buildings are used for urban
warfare training, e.g. for service in Northern Ireland.
They have rough concrete floors, bare brick walls and
no doors or windows, just holes. We were to be attacked by a section of regular RTR troopers. We were of
course overrun, both times, though we inflicted heavy
casualties. I survived both attacks, by luck rather than
skill, once as a prisoner (I forgot to reload), and once as
a sniper who had been missed in the mop-up. We
were astonished at how a few smoke bombs from the
attackers produced almost complete darkness in and
around the house. Nor had we twigged that there were
more defenders than enemy: if we had only divided
the attackers, in plain view at their start line, amongst
ourselves so that each of us was shooting at a different
individual, we could have won outright.
Lunch followed at Imber Court, a fine Queen Anne
mansion, now a shell. First we sampled boil-in-thebag rations. These were pretty tasty, though I understand they soon pall when there is nothing else. Then
we had the real lunch, a magnificent feast on trestle
tables covered with white tablecloths in the former
dining room of the mansion. This consisted of hot
chicken stew, fried egg, rice and vegetables, followed
by apricot crumble and custard. This had all been rustled up in two hours by an Army chef. He had prepared
it in semi-darkness under a single bare light bulb, with
(so far as I could see) no running water, and no work
surfaces. Amazing.
In the afternoon it was our turn to learn about the
Challenger 2 Tank. This huge vehicle weighs over 60
Waiting for the enemy
“
There were two tanks available, and we
all took turns at riding in the turret for a
couple of miles. We soon discovered how
truly awful this is.
Briefing at
Imber Court
tons, and can travel by road at over 35mph, and crosscountry at around 25mph. A litre of diesel will carry it
less than 100 yards. When it hits a bump at full speed,
it more or less takes off! There were two tanks
available, and we all took turns at riding in the turret
for a couple of miles. We soon discovered how truly
awful this is. Tank commanders in old films and
newsreels always wear headphones: this is because
without them, the noise of the engine makes it impossible to hear a word of what the other crewmen are
saying, even from two feet away. In addition the turret
hatch has no padding at all, and the whole of your top
half is exposed and unsupported. When the tank
sways, jolts, leans or, worst of all, stops dead, you have
to hold on very hard for dear life, to avoid repeated
bruising, and to keep your teeth. Sadly, the Challenger
2 is to be the last main battle tank in the British Army.
Times have changed, and it is not to be replaced.
All of this took place in glorious weather on Salisbury Plain. The Plain is quite hilly, despite its name. It
is also a wonderful time warp of Victorian England,
with no houses other than in Imber Village, no roads
larger than country lanes, no cars, no litter, very little
noise and virtually no people. The views from the turret
were superb. The Plain is of course also a huge nature
reserve. I saw my first Orange Tip butterfly of the year,
flying past Sergeant-Major Macatee’s head
during his weapons demonstration. In the distance was
the 15th-century tower of Imber’s parish church, still
occasionally used for services. I wondered how many
times in Jane Austen’s day the clergyman might have
walked up the road for dinner at Imber Court.
My abiding memory of the day is of the help and
kindness of all ranks. They went out of their way to be
patient and welcoming to a bunch of civilians. Handling and firing an SA80, at will, against an attacking
force was a real privilege. We were encouraged to take
as many pictures as we wanted, and I wish I had taken
more. The obvious keenness and enjoyment displayed
by everyone, especially the young tank commanders,
was deeply impressive. There was a real spirit of teamwork, and complete absence of ‘bull’. (I didn’t see a
salute all day.) Any problems, such as when one of the
tanks broke down, or when two demonstration grenades in succession refused to go off, were overcome
quickly and with good humour. If and when the invitation comes again, I shall certainly accept. I shall also
take more photographs than I did. And my defensive
tactics might even improve.
Stephen Freeth
Company Archivist
y
The end of the da
The Regulars attack
27
Livery Medals
Silver livery medals originated in the 18th century as
a means of identifying liverymen attending shrieval
and mayoral elections at Guildhall. By this time the
wearing of livery gowns had declined, and other
means of identifying those entitled to vote were
needed.
Disorderly scenes at Guildhall, especially in
1769, led to the introduction of the ‘wicket
gate’ system, still in use today, to control
entry to City elections at Guildhall. However, some companies - led by the Vintners
– also introduced medals, engraved with the
company’s coat of arms and the member’s
name, to identify their own liverymen. The Vintners are supposed to have introduced their livery
medal in 1769, but the earlist known Vintners’
medal is actually of 1764!
Not all companies introduced medals,
and it was never a general requirement.
Beadles still had to recognise members
of their own companies. The Vintners
were nevertheless followed by the
Carpenters in 1770, the Cooks, Cutlers
and Pattenmakers in 1772, the Needlemakers and Butchers in 1773 and the
Coopers in 1774. Of the Great Twelve only the
Fishmongers followed suit, in 1782.
Wearing medals as a means of preventing identity
fraud was probably never very successful. It was
deemed ‘useless’ by the Coopers by 1792. However the
practice of issuing them became traditional in some
companies, and has continued amongst the Vintners
to this day, though they are no longer worn to Guildhall
elections. Around twenty other companies still issue
livery medals.
Some companies wear the medal on a ribbon around
the neck. The Vintners by contrast hang it by a hook on
the left breast, in a similar manner to a military medal,
with which of course it has no link whatsoever. It is
nevertheless interesting to reflect that the earliest
British Army official medal is the Waterloo Medal of
1815, which may or may not have been inspired
by the successful use of ‘such trinkets’ by Napoleon. The Vintners’ initiative of 1769 was way
28
ahead of both. However before we are too impressed,
we should remember that at this date tickets of ivory,
silver or bronze were required to gain entry to the floor
of the Stock Exchange, to theatres and clubs, to private
roads, and even to exhibitions or public lectures. It was
but a small step from carrying a ticket in one’s pocket
to wearing it on one’s clothes.
The Vintners’ Company has a small collection
of livery medals which formerly belonged to
members, 22 in all, dating from 1764 to 1978.
That of 1764 belonged to Thomas Fowler, of the
King’s Arms Tavern, Ludgate Hill. They show
that the design has remained essentially unchanged throughout. The obverse shows the arms
of the Company, and the reverse is engraved with
the name of the liveryman, and their date of election.
Most of the medals are locked in the Plate Room, but
two are displayed in the Drawing Room Cabinet
(Thomas Fowler, 1764; Christian Tawke,
1790), while two more are framed in the
Sitting Room. These are the medals of
Henry Aste, 1827, who was Master in 18701, and of William John Todd, 1898, who was
Master in 1938-9.
Many of the details above are derived from
an article by Keith Hinde, the former Clerk of the
Cutlers’ Company, in The Medal, no 30 (Spring 1997).
The Cutlers also have a collection of livery medals,
mostly issued to their own members, but including the
medal presented by the Vintners on 8 April 1834 to the
polar explorer Captain John Ross RN (later Sir John
Ross). Ross had recently returned from four years in or
on the ice around King William Land and the Gulf of
Boothia, named after the gin magnate Felix Booth who
had financed the expedition – but that is another story.
Stephen Freeth
Company Archivist
The Staff
Valete
Miss Kathleen Richman
Kathleen joined the Company in 1997 as PA to the
Master and Clerk. Living in Royston, Hertfordshire, she
has spent the intervening 14 years commuting to the
office, come rain, snow or shine, by train, or by bus in
the event of regular train strikes.
At her desk from early in the morning to well past
the time she should have left, she has dedicated her
life to the Company and to the service of 14 Masters
and one Clerk!
Conscientious and patient, nothing has ever been
too much trouble for her, and she has handled the
myriad of tasks placed on her desk with meticulous
attention to detail.
She has been a hugely valuable and popular
member of staff, and her loyalty to the Company has
been recognised by the Court, who have invited her to
become a Freeman of the Company.
We wish Kathleen an active, healthy and happy
retirement.
We therefore said farewell to Diane Vessey, our
Receptionist for 12 years, and to Jim Spillman, our
Engineer, after 8 years’ service. They had both served
the Company well, and we were very sorry that we
had to see them go.
Diane Vessey
Jim Spillman
Salve
The Master presenting Kathleen with a watch
There have been two other staff changes this year.
Staff costs are a significant proportion of the Company’s
expenditure. Regrettably, therefore, in the current financial climate and in the interest of making budgetary
savings, I reluctantly decided that we would have to
find alternative ways of handling both our Reception
and Engineer functions. Those two posts were made
redundant in early 2010.
Mrs Julie Newbould
Julie Newbould joins the
Company as the Administrative Assistant in a revamped General Office.
She was previously a
Projects Administrator in
the construction industry.
The new General Office
will cover all aspects of
Julie Newbould
the Company’s general
administration and membership matters, including
support for the Master and Clerk. Julie will be working
closely with Glenn Roberts.
Julie is married and lives in Kent. We welcome her
to the Company, and hope that she enjoys a long and
happy association with us.
The Clerk
29
The Master’s Year
Kenton Day
Installation
Day
Rioja – For what we
are about to receive…
30
Fair exchange!
At the South of
England show
ily
The Dow fam
Master and Mistress on
the Olympic run at Igls
Charity
The Vintners’ Company has, for several hundred
years, embraced its philanthropic duty of disbursing
money to the needy. Of late, in view of the Company’s
policy on entertaining its members, there has also
been an aspiration to bring in new money from the
membership, to help fund some of these everincreasing charitable responsibilities.
As can be imagined, without wishing to change old,
accepted practice, the method of achieving both aims
has become somewhat convoluted, clumsy and confusing. Members may recall that donations were, in the
past, made by four committees:
● Court
● Master & Wardens
● Charities
● Vintners’ Company Charitable Foundation (VCCF),
which was also tasked with fundraising.
The money also came from a number of sources, although much has been done over the last twelve years
to amalgamate smaller charitable funds.
In order to clarify and simplify procedures for both
appellant charities and Company members, the Court
has decided to vest all charitable responsibilities in a
new Vintners’ Foundation (VF) Committee. This will be
32
an amalgamation of the old Charities and VCCF
Committees. Representations are also being made to
the Charity Commissioners to amalgamate the Company’s two existing funds (the Vintners’ Gifts Charity,
and the Vintners’ Company Charitable Foundation) into
one fund entitled the Vintners’ Foundation.
The new VF Committee will meet in December to
formulate a policy to submit to the Court on how future
donations will be made and how fundraising will be
accomplished.
In doing so, it will be examining:
● whether to concentrate on a major project, or to
continue to give to a wide range of charities, or an
amalgam of the two
● whether to continue the current practice of concentrating on a particular charitable sector every
six months
● what priority should be given to wine-trade-related charities
● what priority should be given to charities nominated by members
● the practically achievable due diligence required to
satisfy the Committee of the need of the applicant,
and also that the subsequent donation has been
spent in accordance with the Committee’s wishes
The Giant Seesaw
at Halley Primary
School, part-funded
by the Company
●
●
whether to continue with the policy of:
a. concentrating on London-based charities only
b. not giving to charities concerned with research
c. giving priority to people rather than buildings
how members may become interested in and
committed to the VF’s work, and how significant
contributions from the membership may be achieved.
However, despite the criticisms of the old system, it
was nonetheless effective. This was not least because of
the time and effort put in by the members of both the
Charities and VCCF Committees, and also by a number
of Liverymen and Freemen who have generously given
up their time to visit and assess charities for future
donations, and to take part in fundraising events. On
behalf of the Company, may I publicly thank them all,
and assure them that their legacy will be carried
forward into the work of the VF Committee.
During the last year of the old system, the Charities
Committee has concentrated on appeals from charities
concerned with the Prevention of Alcohol Abuse/Drug
Addiction, and with the Disabled. Donations have been
made to some 23 different charities and schools, some
of whose logos are shown here.
The VCCF Committee, in addition to donating to
charities concerned with alcohol abuse, has also
supported a number of charities put forward by
members of the Company. These included Veterans Aid,
through Liveryman Nigel Windridge. Veterans Aid so
impressed the Committee that, in addition to a donation, they decided to make it the recipient charity for
the Company’s fundraising walk in Champagne this year
which raised an impressive £87,000. A report features
elsewhere in this Annual Review. Congratulations to
all who took part, and to all who supported them.
So charity, in all its guises, continues to play an
increasingly important part in the Company. Despite all
the pomp and ceremony of Livery life and dinners, the
Company needs to continue to build up its charitable
fund. I very much hope that you will find some way to
lend your support in the coming year, be it through a
donation, your time, or a future legacy. The Clerk will
be delighted to hear from you.
Past Master Edward Demery CVO
Chairman
Vintners’ Foundation Committee
33
Finance and Investments –
the financial storm, one year on
Over the past 24 months the Company has implemented a major overhaul of its financial and investment
strategy. We have set ourselves a demanding longterm target total return (Income and Capital Growth) of
4.8 per cent plus inflation. In order to achieve this we
have also set a new asset allocation, that targets a
higher return while mitigating the associated risk
through a much greater diversification of the portfolio;
departed from the year-by-year budget discipline of
an income-only spending approach; and developed a
Spending Rule that relates spending to the market
value of the investment portfolio, but is also linked to
operating expenditure needs.
Stanhope Capital were appointed as our Investment
Managers at the end of 2008. Behind the scenes, the
Company’s accounting policies and processes have
been modernised to enable total return to be carefully
tracked. This was all shared and expanded on at
Common Hall by David Robson, Chairman of the Investment Committee, and Michael Turner, the Renter
Warden.
Renter Warden Michael Turner
& Past Master David Robson
The Company’s investment portfolio is a mixture of
directly-owned properties, now just under one third of
the Company’s total investments, and a portfolio
managed by Stanhope Capital, with investments in a
wide variety of assets, including equities (both UK and
overseas), bonds and commodities, accounting for the
remaining two thirds.
A key thrust of the investment strategy has been to
reduce concentration of our investment in property. In
2008 three property sales, which with hindsight were
timed very well, realised £15 million. As part of the
handover of the investment mandate the Company’s
34
other financial investments were liquidated. Stanhope
Capital initially cautiously invested the portfolio largely
in bonds and cash. During the spring and summer of
2009, Stanhope reinvested the portfolio in measured
steps, gradually increasing exposure to UK and overseas equities in particular. This asset class by March
2010 accounted for over 50 per cent of the portfolio,
with Stanhope investing on our behalf, in line with
their philosophy, in funds rather than individual stocks.
During 2009 two smaller property sales were completed realising a further £1 million.
At Common Hall David and Michael were able to
report that the total investment return for the year to
the end of March was 14 per cent, very handsomely
recovering the 4 per cent decline in the previous year.
(This in itself was a very creditable achievement against
the significant falls, over 30-40 per cent in some cases,
across nearly every type of asset class.) At the end of
the first year with Stanhope therefore we have seen a
10 per cent real increase in the worth of the investment
portfolio. The Investment Committee meets quarterly
to review the performance of the Investment Managers,
and it is pleasing that the performance of the Company’s portfolio stands good comparison without undue
risks being taken.
The first year with Stanhope has been good and the
directly-held property portfolio is much tidier; we keep
alert for opportunity to achieve further sales. Since the
year end, as markets continue to be uncertain, the
investment portfolio has been tactically rebalanced
with greater investment once again in bonds and cash.
This reflects a prime objective set by the Investment
Committee: to achieve a solid return without unnerving
volatility.
Whilst the main stream of the Company’s income,
£1.4 million, derives from the investment portfolio and
property rents, the Company is also very successful in
renting use of the Hall to third parties, including other
Livery Companies who do not own their own Hall.
Income from this, in excess of £200,000 per annum,
provides a useful contribution to the costs of maintaining the Hall. In the last year this has been greatly
helped by the decision of the Court to make the
refurbished bedrooms available as part of external hire,
as well as to the Livery.
The Spending Rule we have introduced in the year
was based on the ‘Yale method’, which limits operat-
ional expenditure to that spent in previous years, and
on a three-year ‘lagged basis’ to returns from the
investment portfolio. This has provided a cap on the
Company’s expenditure of £2 million, within which
individual items of expenditure have been budgeted
and prioritised as part of the annual planning exercise.
To fund this level of expenditure, a return of 4 per cent
is required from the Company’s investments.
In the difficult economic and financial climate some
tough decisions have had to be taken during the year
to keep expenditure within budget. Sadly this has
included two staff redundancies. An analysis of operational expenditure, which amounted to £1.7 million,
was presented at Common Hall and the proportions of expenditure are shown in the pie chart
below. Across all of the headings actual
expenditure came within the spending limit,
with total savings of over £100,000 compared
with the previous year.
39%
The refurbishment of the bedrooms cost
£245,000, of which £200,000 has been capitalised and will be amortised over the next 10
years. Against this the Company earned £8,000
from the hire of the bedrooms between September 2009 and March 2010.
The Company continued its support of the Wine
Trade, with donations amounting to £85,000 during
the year to the Wine and Spirit Trade Association, Wine
and Spirit Education Trust, and Institute of Masters of
Wine. The Charities Committee made grants of
£137,000, in accordance with the objective to increase
charitable giving by 10 per cent year on year.
No Corporation tax was payable, capital gains being
covered by capital losses brought forward from previous years. More than £250,000 of VAT was recovered,
with the Company benefitting from changed VAT
arrangements with HMRC.
To conclude, the Company continues to be in a
sound financial state. Overall income was £1.6 million,
and total expenditure £2 million. On an annual basis
expenditure exceeded income by a planned £0.4
million. However, when the capital growth of the
investment portfolio (£5 million) is taken into account,
this far exceeds the annual deficit, and has led to a 10
per cent, £4 million, increase in the net assets of the
Company. Although demanding long-term investment
return targets have been set, the Investment
Committee and the Investment Managers are equally
alert to the need to manage risk, so as to protect the
capital of the Company in an uncertain economic and
financial climate.
Andrew Ling
Stavesman
14%
15%
37%
Operating
Expenses
outer circle 2008-09
inner circle 2009-10
30%
31%
18%
16%
■
■
■
■
Office Expenditure
Office/Staff
Court and Livery
Hall Expenses
35
Highlights of the Year
If you are keen to take part in any of our sports teams (and we are always on the lookout for talent),
please contact Glenn Roberts (glenn.roberts@vintnershall.co.uk).
Some of the competitors
Skiing
Captained by Freeman George Stoy and with the
Master leading from the front, the Vintners’ team swept
the board at the inaugural Inter Livery Ski Championships in January 2010 at the French resort of Morzine.
Beautifully organised by George Bastin of the
Ironmongers’ Company, the Championships attracted
teams from twelve companies for Slalom, Giant Slalom
and Snowboard races.
In the Slalom the Company were Team Champions,
and also picked up Young (George Stoy), Mid (David
Mabey) and Ladies (Lucy Morgan Edwards) Champion
prizes.
This medal haul was pretty much replicated in the
Giant Slalom, with the Company again picking up Team
Champions, and George Stoy and David Mabey the
Young and Mid Champions respectively.
Inevitably, Roger Hodgson won the Snowboard
Championship.
Congratulations to the whole team and to the individual champions, and our thanks to George Bastin and
his wife for their superb organisation.
We intend to enter a team for the 2011 Championships to compete for the newly-presented Vintners’
Cup, commissioned to celebrate the team performance
in 2010.
36
Golf
The year started well with a win
against the Distillers at Royal Wimbledon, where we managed to field a full
team (well done, chaps). Unfortunately,
they had a power failure in the clubhouse and we had to put up with
smoked salmon sandwiches instead of
their usual bacon baguettes; such suffering! The format of ‘Four Ball Better
Ball’ made for a lengthy round, and a
late but enjoyable lunch. Power company permitting, we will be back to
foursomes next year.
The teams for the Great Twelve
competition held at Tandridge on 19th
April had mixed fortunes. In the morning round, Michael Cox and James Davy
came second with 20 points (nine
holes), but sadly peaked too soon (or it
could have been too much Tandridge
pudding!). In the afternoon, despite a creditable performance by Ralph Manners Wood and John Stoy with
37 points, our position dropped to 8th overall.
For the Spring meeting at The Berkshire on 29th
April, we only managed to muster twelve players.
Fierce competition in the morning resulted in a count
back between Michael Cox and Rupert Monier-Williams,
both on 39 points, with Rupert winning with 19 on the
back nine. In the foursomes competition in the afternoon, Rupert was drawn with Ed Lines, and they
played well to win, with Michael Cox and Alistair
Buchanan close behind.
The Master, Sam Dow, won the prize for nearest the
pin on the fourth with a magnificent tee shot – or so he
told us!
We are looking at how we can improve our numbers
for next year, and a change of venue is a possibility as
The Berkshire is quite expensive. Watch this space.
The year ended with our usual enjoyable match
against the Brewers at Tandridge, on a very hot day.
Sadly we ended up in Silver Medal position, despite
the Secretary’s endeavours to nobble the opposition
with alcohol half way round.
At close quarters
The dates for 2011 are as follows:● Match v Distillers at Royal Wimbledon, Wednesday
23rd March;
● Great Twelve, at Tandridge, Monday18th April;
● Spring meeting at The Berkshire (at the moment),
Thursday 5th May;
● Match v Brewers at Tandridge, Monday 18th July.
Our numbers seem to be dropping away. I appreciate
that in the present economic climate it is not easy to
get away from the office, but I cannot overemphasize
how much fun our meetings are. So, ladies and
gentlemen, please come and join us, whatever your
standard. After all, that is why we have a handicap
system. Also, the Company is generous with its
sponsorship, for which we are most grateful.
Clay Pigeon Shooting
The Company’s A and B teams did their best to improve
on last year’s result in the Inter Livery Shoot, and
finished in a rather vaguely reported ‘respectable mid
field position’, although the roast pig and claret seemed
to feature equally highly in the report.
However Tom Cannon finished in a marvellous 4th
place in the overall competition – the best we have
ever achieved. He will be training the 2011 teams!
Well done to all our shots.
Sailing
Once again the Great Twelve Sailing Regatta, held in
June at Seaview Yacht Club on the Isle of Wight, was
well supported by members of the Company, their
families and friends.
Having secured second place in last year’s event,
the team were in search of the elusive Gold Medal
but, despite a spirited performance, had to settle
once again for Silver.
The weekend proved a magnificent success and
culminated in the traditional prizegiving and dinner
on Saturday evening. This is a great social event,
giving members and their families the opportunity to
meet in a relaxed and friendly environment.
Another sailing event was added to the Calendar
this year. The inaugural ‘Drinks Trade Regatta’ took
place in September, and was a competition between
the Vintners’, Brewers’, Distillers’ and Innholders’
Companies. Look out for both these events in 2011.
Inter Livery Bridge Competition
1st March 2010
The twenty-eighth annual competition, held at Drapers’
Hall as in recent years, saw sixty pairs taking part. The
Vintners were again represented by husband/wife
partnership Tim and Sally Begg, plus a new pairing of
Clement Coldwells with Mike Goodall of the Makers of
Playing Cards gallantly making up the numbers. Play
was in two sessions of 12 boards each, with a break for
dinner.
After a cautious start, CC/MG combined reasonably
well but failed to find an easy Small Slam, and later
went heavily down in the wrong suit contract to end
the first session in 28th place with 277.79 Match Points
137
Liveryman Alex Hingston
and 50.32%. TB/SB had a torrid time, and went to
dinner in 53rd place with 225.18 MPs and 40.79%: but
they recovered well to finish in 45th place with 501.45
MPs and 45.42%, whilst CC/MG missed calling another
Slam and failed to double a sacrificial bid to end up in
35th place with 529.52 MPs and 47.96%.
As always, this was a very relaxed and pleasant
evening for players of very varying standards,
organized by the Makers of Playing Cards, and we are
most grateful to the Master and Court for their support.
The City Lunch
The Master, together with our catering partners Searcy’s,
hosted the third City Lunch at the Hall on 29th January
2010. Senior Wardens and Clerks were invited to
attend from selected Livery Companies.
This event is an important part of our sales and
marketing plan. Its purpose is to thank existing Livery
clients, and unabashedly to encourage others to
consider using the Hall for their events.
The Master welcomed 117 guests and Vintners/
Searcy’s hosts to an excellent Reception and Lunch. In
a short speech, he explained that the partnership between the Vintners and Searcy’s has been going on for
nine years. This says a great deal about the Company’s
confidence in them. The guests were also encouraged
to make use of our new bedroom facility.
The Lunch was a huge success, with many letters of
appreciation. There is no doubt that it has helped us
year-on-year to increase our sector of the Livery market.
Bedroom use has also increased.
We intend to hold another Lunch next year. Members
will be interested to note that the costs of these events
are met in full by Searcy’s, as part of their support to
the contract.
38
Cricket
The annual Vintners v Grocers match, the fourth in
the series, took place at the delightful Burton Court
ground.
In deteriorating weather conditions the Company
batted first and, with a very slow outfield, struggled
to find the boundary. However a late feast of runs
pushed the total to a respectable 106 for 4, though
it left some considerable talent in the pavilion.
As conditions improved, the Vintners’ bowling
and fielding took an early toll on the Grocers, but
the strength of their middle order began to eat into
the Vintners’ total. With a number of well-struck
boundaries, they raced towards the 100 mark and
inevitable victory, their third in the last three ‘Tests’.
Let us hope for a better result next year. The
evening, with drinks and supper, is a very enjoyable
occasion, with the opportunity to meet members of
the Grocers’ Company, so do sign up for it when a
date is published.
Liveryman
Anthony
Russell and
Richard Ayers
Zunft zu Weinleuten –
Guild Day Out
Michael Cox
with the solid
gold ‘gelte’
Other cities besides London boast ancient guilds, and
Basel is one of them. The Zunft zu Weinleuten –
Switzerland’s equivalent of the Vintners’ Company was founded in 1233. It is one of the oldest of Basel’s
twenty-six remaining guilds.
On the same day that many Vintners
and friends gallantly walked for charity in Champagne, the Swan Warden
The march
had the perfect excuse to avoid blistthough Zug
ers, and copious pit stops for sparkling
refreshment. He was representing the
Vintners’ Company on the Zunft zu
Weinleuten’s ‘Guild Day Out’. And
what a day it was.
We started with coffee and pastry
at 7am in the Hall of the Guild, opposite Basel Cathedral. The 250-strong
party (all male) then boarded coaches,
bound for Lake Zug. Here we marched
through the sleepy town to the lake’s
edge behind the vast Guild flag, being
waved vigorously, to the beat of the
Guild’s own brass band and drums. It
made for a colourful and noisy spectacle for Zug’s early risers.
There followed a tour of the beautiful lake aboard
the aptly-named motor cruiser ‘Zug’. This offered the
opportunity to mix with the Guild members, and to chat
with my genial and convivial host Prof Hansjörg Wirz,
one of their Past Masters. Despite being born in Germany many moons ago, my German (let alone my Swiss
Deutsch) is basic, so it was a pleasure to marvel at
Hansjörg’s mastery of English. Mind you, he was for 25
years Professor of Sociology at Edinburgh University,
and has several English grandchildren to practise on!
Sustained by yet more pastry, and by glasses
frequently refilled with Switzerland’s finest Sauvignon
Blanc, we eventually disembarked on the other side of
the lake at the charming town of Cham. The town is
famous for being the home of Nestlé, where we were
to have a grand lunch. Your Swan Warden was given
the honour of joining the Master and Court members
as they paraded into the dining hall. I was asked to
carry the Guild’s precious solid gold ‘gelte’ - an old
wine vessel shaped rather like a watering can, made in
1534.
The long lunch
was punctuated at
various moments by
speeches, by the singing of the Guild hymn (Zunftlied),
and rousing extracts from the band’s repertoire. Even
the Guild choir got in on the act to serenade the happy
diners, who clearly were well
used to lunches that last until
nightfall. The guest speaker, Matthias Michel, Minister of Economic
Affairs in the Canton of Zug (an
immensely wealthy canton), gave
a hilarious speech, judging by the
laughter which I tried to emulate
in all the right places.
Finally, nine new Guild ‘Freemen’ were accepted into their
‘Livery’ according to ancient custom,
swearing allegiance whilst holding the huge Guild flag, and
downing in one go about half a
litre of Sauvignon Blanc from the
‘gelte’ as the drums rolled!
The coach was quieter on the
way back to Basel. The splendid
day was made even more pleasant by my being
entertained to supper by Hansjörg and his lovely wife
Christel in their delightful apartment, overlooking the
old city ramparts and the Rhine. Together we watched
England’s World Cup match against the USA – a
disappointing end to a wonderful day, which had
strengthened our ties with a fellow wine Livery that
predates even our own.
Michael Cox
Swan Warden
June 2010
New Freemen swear alliance
39
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The Vintners’ Company
Vintners’ Hall • Upper Thames Street • London EC4V 3BG
Tel: 020 7236 1863 • Fax: 020 7236 8177
Web site: www.vintnershall.co.uk