One of the oldest continual annual events in the world, the Lord Mayor’s Show offers pomp, pageantry and family fun all rolled into 800 years of British tradition.
Started in 1215AD, what became the tradition of the Lord Mayor’s Show was originally created for the elected Lord Mayor of London to pledge their loyalty to the King or Queen. The very first Lord Mayor of London was appointed by the king, but every Lord Mayor from then on has been elected by the people of London.
The main part of the show is the precession in which the Lord Mayor’s coach travels from Mansion House to the Royal Courts of Justice where the Lord Mayor must declare their loyalty. Generally the route is televised and has become a very popular attraction, probably mostly due to the intricate design of the horse drawn coach.
Today the show precession has extended significantly and now involves peoples from all around the Commonwealth with dancers and other performers preceding the coach. The whole event also raises significant amounts of money for various charities, this year officially supporting Coram and RedR charities.
Just to remove any confusion – the Lord Mayor’s post is not the same as the Mayor of London which is a much newer post. The Lord Mayor is the annually elected Head of the City of London which controls the square mile within the financial hub of London. The Mayor of London is effectively in charge of what used to be the city council of London, but is a much more political post.
The show starts around 11am on the 13th November 2010.
There are full details about the route and history behind the show on the Lord Mayor show web site.
Trivia: Did you know, the Lord Mayor’s coach has no brakes which makes stopping it a very skilful job especially as the coach driver has to stop the coach door right beside the red carpet.
Links for the City of London:
Visitor attractions around the City of London
Hotels in the City of London
