Court Luncheon at Apothecaries Hall EC4 19^th March 2014

I was delighted to be invited as a member of the Howe committee and as chairman of the APTGW. This has not happened before,  previously only liverymen were allowed to attend. I was in good company with Masters of the Needle makers, blacksmiths, upholders, spectacle makers, secretaries, curriers and fruiterer's, to name but a few!  The venue Apothecaries Hall is fabulous, stuffed with everything you could imagine of a worshipful company with a history back to 1672.

Perhaps not as old as the turners however who gained their royal charter in 1604: but then like so many companies their origins go back even further, the turners to 1179.

The display cabinet was opened at my request and I was able to handle this very old bowl from 1758

 Amongst their many great portraits of former Masters (most of which were life size) I found a really striking portrait of our Queen.

We enjoyed a less formal chat in the Black Friar afterwards.  The pub was saved from demolition by Sir John Betjeman. It was built on the site of a Dominican Friary at the turn of the century.  Apothecaries Hall was burnt down during the great fire and was rebuilt as it is today.