View source for Lord Mayor's Show

{{Short description|Annual street parade in London, England}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
[[File:2011 Lord Mayor emerging from Royal Courts of Justice 2011.jpg|thumb|Lord Mayor [[David Wootton (lord mayor)|David Wootton]] and some of his entourage emerging from the [[Royal Courts of Justice]], at the end of half-time during the 2011 Lord Mayor's Show]]
The  '''Lord Mayor's Show''' or '''Lady Mayor's Show''' is one of the best-known annual events in [[London]] as well as one of the longest-established, dating back to the 13th century.<ref>Wickham, ''Early English Stages ii, pt 1, p.46''</ref> A new [[lord mayor]] is appointed every year, and the public [[parade]] that takes place as their [[inauguration]] ceremony reflects that this was once one of the most prominent offices in England and subsequently the United Kingdom.

The show is named after the [[Lord Mayor of London|Lord Mayor]] of the [[City of London]], a city and ceremonial county within [[Greater London]] and the historic centre of the wider metropolis. This is distinct from the [[Mayor of London]], the elected head of the [[Greater London Authority]]  (a position which has existed only since 2000). The City is London's main financial district, widely known informally as 'the Square Mile'.

The Lord Mayor's Show is centred on a street parade, which in its modern form is a light-hearted combination of traditional British pageantry and elements of [[carnival]]. On the day after being sworn in, the Lord Mayor and several others participate in a procession from [[Guildhall, London|Guildhall]], via [[Mansion House, London|Mansion House]] and [[St Paul's Cathedral]], in the heart of the City of London, to the [[Royal Courts of Justice]] on the edge of the [[City of Westminster]], where the new Lord Mayor swears allegiance to [[Monarchy of the United Kingdom|the Crown]]. Until 1882, the procession went to [[Westminster Hall]].<ref name="Weinreb">{{cite book|author1=[[Ben Weinreb|Weinreb, Ben]] |author2=[[Christopher Hibbert|Hibbert, Christopher]] |title=[[The London Encyclopaedia]] |edition=reprint |year=1992 |publisher=[[Macmillan Publishers|Macmillan]] |page=498}}</ref>

==Origin and date of the show==
[[File:Pikemen & Musketeers at Lord Mayor's Show 2011.jpg|thumb|The [[Company of Pikemen and Musketeers]] of the [[Honourable Artillery Company]] leaving the [[Royal Courts of Justice]] and heading south towards the [[River Thames]], during the second half of the 2011 Lord Mayor's Show.]]
The office of Lord Mayor dates from 1189, and it was a requirement of the charter establishing it that the mayor travelled to the royal enclave at Westminster to present himself to the monarch's representatives, the senior judges as Barons of the Exchequer, to take an oath of loyalty to the sovereign upon beginning his term. The event is officially listed in the City's Civic Calendar as 'The Procession to the Royal Courts of Justice and Presentation of the Lord Mayor to the Chief Justices'; when the Royal Courts moved from Westminster to the [[Strand, London|Strand]] location in 1882, the route was shortened. Originally, this journey was mostly made by barge on the [[River Thames]], the usual method of transport for this route in those days. Pageantry and display gradually grew around the trip, comparable to the far less frequent [[Royal Entry]] parades that usually followed a [[coronation]] or royal wedding. 

In the 16th century the "show" become a major entertainment for Londoners.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://lordmayorsshow.london/history|title=History of the Lord Mayor's Show|website=lordmayorsshow.london}}</ref> This rests significantly on the shoulders of the Lord Mayors [[Rowland Hill (MP)|Sir Rowland Hill]] and his friend [[John Gresham|Sir John Gresham]], in revival of the Marching Watch or Mid Summer Watches in London.  In these pageants 15,000 citizens all in bright harness, with coats of white Silk or Cloath, and Chains of Gold, passed through London to Westminster, and round St. James's Park, and on to Holborn.<ref>{{Cite book |last=De Laune |first=Thomas |url=http://name.umdl.umich.edu/A37482.0001.001 |title=The present state of London: or, Memorials comprehending a full and succinct account of the ancient and modern state thereof. By Tho. De-Laune, Gent |date=October 2009}}</ref> The long daylight of June caused the civic government to fear disorder; the Watch was originally a show of the city's policing force with armed men marching in the streets., but it evolved into an annual festival of street pageantry which reached its spectacular peak in Hill's time and evolved into the Lord Mayor's Show.<ref>{{Cite web |date=6 April 2020 |title=The Midsummer Watch- an old tradition, revived |url=https://civiclondon.wordpress.com/2020/04/06/the-midsummer-watch-an-old-tradition-revived/ |access-date=2022-06-25 |website=Records of Early English Drama: Civic London 1558–1642 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Williams (nee Knapton) |first=Sheila Hannah |url=https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/30695777.pdf |title=The Lord Mayors' Shows from Peele to Settle: a study of literary content, organization, and methods of production – PhD Thesis |publisher=University of Londön}}</ref>  These developments are recorded in Lady Long's household-book at Hengrave, Suffolk, which notes that Henry VIII watched these marches from Mercers Hall with [[Jane Seymour]]; "the presence of more than 300 demi lunces and light horsemen" were a particular highlight.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Burgon |first=John William |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0uoJAAAAIAAJ |title=The Life and Times of Sir Thomas Gresham: Comp. Chiefly from His Correspondence Preserved in Her Majesty's State-paper Office: Including Notices of Many of His Contemporaries. With Illustrations |date=1839 |publisher=Robert Jennings |language=en}}</ref>

In London, the show occurred annually on the day after the [[feast day]] of [[Simon the Zealot|St Simon]] and [[Jude the Apostle|St Jude]], 29 October. In 1751, Great Britain replaced the [[Julian calendar]] with the [[Gregorian calendar]]; the Lord Mayor's Show was then moved to 9 November. In 1959, another change was made: the Lord Mayor's Show is now held on the second Saturday in November.{{r|Hutton|pp=187-188}} <ref>{{cite web |author=<!-- not stated --> |date= |title=History of the Lord Mayor's Show - Dates and Routes |url=https://lordmayorsshow.london/history/dates-and-routes |website=lordmayorsshow.london |access-date=10 November 2025}}</ref> Since 1655 when the event was revived after a break of some fifteen years because of the [[English Civil War]],<ref>{{cite book |last=Noble |first=T. C. |author-link=T. C. Noble |date=1860 |title=The Lord Mayor of London |url=https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/The_Lord_Mayor_of_London_A_Sketch_of_the/ATWtzkoW-o0C?hl=en&gbpv=1&pg=PA15&printsec=frontcover |location=London |publisher=W. H. Collingridge |page=15 |access-date=10 November 2025}}</ref> the Lord Mayor's Show has regularly been held on the scheduled day, having only been cancelled twice, firstly in 1852, when the show made way for the [[Death and state funeral of the Duke of Wellington|state funeral of the Duke of Wellington]], and secondly in 2020 when the show was cancelled because of the [[COVID-19 pandemic]].<ref>{{Cite web|author=<!-- not stated --> |date=21 September 2020 |url=https://news.cityoflondon.gov.uk/city-of-london-announces-cancellation-of-lord-mayors-show/|title=City of London announces cancellation of Lord Mayor's Show|website=cityoflondon.gov.uk  |publisher=City of London Corporation |access-date=10 November 2025}}</ref> The modern Lord Mayor's procession is a direct descendant of that first journey to Westminster.

The first '''Lady Mayor's Show''' in the event's history was held in 2025, when Dame [[Susan Langley]] was elected as the third female to hold the post, but the first to take the of title of Lady Mayor.<ref>{{cite web |author=<!-- not stated --> |date=8 November 2025 |title=City on parade for first ever Lady Mayor's Show |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c751kxpz015o |website=www.bbc.co.uk |publisher=BBC News |access-date=8 November 2025}}</ref>

==The Lord Mayor's transport and the origin of parade floats==
[[File:British School, 17th century - The Lord Mayor's Water-Procession on the Thames - RCIN 402608 - Royal Collection.jpg|thumb|The Lord Mayor's water-procession on the Thames, circa 1683]]
[[Image:Lord Mayor's Show (Canaletto).JPG|thumb|In 1747, the Lord Mayor went to the City of Westminster on a barge via the River Thames. These were the original parade [[Float (parade)|float]]s.]] 
Formerly, the route was varied each year so that the procession could pass through the Lord Mayor's home [[Wards of the City of London|ward]]; since 1952, however, the route has been fixed. The Lord Mayor rode on horseback, rode in a coach, or went on a barge via the [[River Thames]], based on the route chosen. The river transport for the Lord Mayor's Show gave rise to the word "[[Float (parade)|float]]" when used in the context of [[parade]]s.{{Cn|date=January 2023}}

The earliest medieval processions were on land, but [[John Norman (draper)|John Norman]], the mayor elected for 1453, had a barge made for himself and initiated the custom of travelling to Westminster on the river, which continued until the last river pageant by Thomas Quested Finnis in 1856.<ref>{{cite book |last=Noble |first=T. C. |author-link=T. C. Noble |date=1860 |title=The Lord Mayor of London |url=https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/The_Lord_Mayor_of_London_A_Sketch_of_the/ATWtzkoW-o0C?hl=en&gbpv=1&pg=PA15&printsec=frontcover |location=London |publisher=W. H. Collingridge |pages=15-16 |access-date=10 November 2025}}</ref>

On more than one occasion, floats have been used as puns on the Lord Mayor's name; in 1616 [[John Leman]] had a lemon tree in the procession, while the following year [[William Cockayne]] had an artificial [[Rooster|cock]] crowing and flapping its wings. More recently, [[Murray Fox|Sir Murray Fox]] in 1974 had a large model of a fox in the procession.<ref name="Weinreb"/>

[[Image:Museum of London interior Lord Mayors Coach.jpg|thumb|The Lord Mayor's Coach, housed in the [[Museum of London]] on London Wall]]
In 1711, Lord Mayor [[Sir Gilbert Heathcote, 1st Baronet|Gilbert Heathcote]] was unseated from his horse, breaking his leg, after which a coach was used.{{r|coach}} A coach was hired for the purpose until 1757 when Sir Charles Asgill, a banker who became the next Lord Mayor, commissioned Joseph Berry of Leather Lane in Holborn to make the [[Lord Mayor of London's State Coach]] which is still used today.{{r|coach}} The original cost of £1,065.0s.3d. equates to around £120,000, but the replacement value has been estimated at £2 million.<ref name = "coach">{{Cite web |url=http://www.lordmayorsshow.org/procession/coach |website=Lord Mayor's Show  |title=The State Coach |access-date=5 December 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140923051851/http://www.lordmayorsshow.org/procession/coach |archive-date=23 September 2014}}</ref> The side panels of the coach were painted by [[Giovanni Battista Cipriani|Cipriani]], who also painted those for the monarch's [[Gold State Coach]]. It is pulled by six horses, two fewer than the monarch's. Riding [[postillion]] on the Lord Mayor's State Carriage are two winners of the annual [[Doggett's Coat and Badge]] rowing race. An escort to the coach recalls the waterborne transport of the Lord Mayor; they were liveried watermen carrying oars: formerly, the Mayor's barge was rowed by members of the [[Company of Watermen and Lightermen]].

==Participants in the show==

===Great Twelve Livery Companies===
The [[Great Twelve City Livery Companies]] — the [[Worshipful Company of Mercers|Mercers]], [[Worshipful Company of Grocers|Grocers]], [[Worshipful Company of Drapers|Drapers]], [[Worshipful Company of Fishmongers|Fishmongers]], [[Worshipful Company of Goldsmiths|Goldsmiths]], [[Worshipful Company of Merchant Taylors|Merchant Taylors]]*, [[Worshipful Company of Skinners|Skinners]]*, [[Worshipful Company of Haberdashers|Haberdashers]], [[Worshipful Company of Salters|Salters]], [[Worshipful Company of Ironmongers|Ironmongers]], [[Worshipful Company of Vintners|Vintners]] and [[Worshipful Company of Clothworkers|Clothworkers]] — participate as of right and the other livery companies by invitation, though the Lord Mayor's "mother company" is always included: in 2019 this was the [[Haberdashers' Company]].

===Privileged regiments of the City of London and others===

Other participants include bands and members of "privileged regiments" of the City of London such as the [[Honourable Artillery Company]] and [[The Royal Fusiliers]]. Privileged regiments have the right to march through the City with bayonets fixed, colours flying, and drums beating.

The many other participants lend a unique flavour to the occasion which include organisations that the Lord Mayor wishes to support or has belonged to, such as charities, old schools and business associations before becoming Lord Mayor. [[St John Ambulance]] participates, for instance, as do the [[Zünfte of Zürich|Zurich Guilds]].

[[Gog and Magog]] are two woven willow giant reproductions of a pair of statues in the [[Guildhall, London|Guildhall]]. These popular icons reflect the pre-Roman legendary past of the [[City of London]] and they too are paraded by volunteers from The [[Guild of Young Freemen]] each year. The most recent representations were created by members of the [[Worshipful Company of Basketmakers]].

==Schedule==
[[File:Coachman in red cape London Nov 2011.jpg|thumb|upright|A coachwoman waits for the resumption of the Lord Mayor's procession, 2011]]
The procession begins at the [[Guildhall, London|Guildhall]] where the Lord Mayor receives with the new Sheriffs personal gifts from a restricted group of relevant City institutions, usually including the Lord Mayor's own Livery Company and Ward Club and then there is a breakfast. The Lord Mayor is escorted to their coach in Guildhall Yard by the [[Court of Aldermen]] and sets off to [[Mansion House, London|Mansion House]], the official residence of the Lord Mayor. There the Lord Mayor awaits the show to pass from the terrace. The Lord Mayor joins the rear of the show, after having watched a [[flypast]] by the [[Royal Air Force]]. 

The route of the outward parade in 2013 was from Guildhall, along Princes Street to [[Bank junction]] and past Mansion House. From there the procession travelled down [[Poultry, London|Poultry]], [[Cheapside]], New Change, St Paul's Churchyard, [[Ludgate Hill]], [[Fleet Street]] and the [[Strand, London|Strand]].

Along the route, the Lord Mayor stops at [[St Paul's Cathedral]] in order to receive a blessing from the Dean on the Cathedral steps. Upon arrival at the [[Royal Courts of Justice]] on the Strand, the Lord Mayor takes the oath of allegiance. The return procession then reassembles on [[Aldwych]] and returns via Essex Street to Temple Place then along the [[Victoria Embankment]] and [[Queen Victoria Street, London|Queen Victoria Street]] back to Mansion House where the Lord Mayor takes review of the [[Company of Pikemen and Musketeers|Pikemen and Musketeers]] of the Honorable Artillery Company. The Lord Mayor then re-enters Mansion House via the steps to the Terrace with the Aldermen and entertains guests and volunteers who have co-ordinated the event.

The parade, which typically begins at about 11 am, concludes at about 3:30 pm. The procession is over 3 miles (roughly 5&nbsp;km) long but the route itself is much shorter; the head of the procession reaches the end of the route before the Lord Mayor even leaves Mansion House. In the evening, a fireworks display is held subject to weather conditions.

==Televising==
The Lord Mayor's Show is televised live by the [[BBC]] in a special programme typically broadcast on [[BBC One]], it has been broadcast on the BBC since 1937,<ref>{{cite book |last=Wheen |first=Francis |author-link1=Francis Wheen |date=1985 |title=Television: A History |url=https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/Television/O8ZAAAAAMAAJ |location=London |publisher=Century Publishing |page=224 |isbn=978-0712609296 |access-date=11 November 2025}}</ref> making it the second [[List of longest-running television shows by category|longest running television broadcast worldwide]]. The broadcast has a commentary from the Mansion House, with reporters who interview participants.<ref>{{cite web |author=<!-- not stated --> |date=13 Nov 2021 |title=The Lord Mayor's Show |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0011n41 |website=www.bbc.co.uk |publisher=BBC |access-date=11 November 2025}}</ref>

==Notes==
{{Reflist|refs=

<ref name="Hutton">{{Cite book |last=Hutton |first=Ronald |title=The Rise and Fall of Merry England: The Ritual Year 1400–1700 |publisher=Oxford University Press |year=1994 |isbn=0-19-285447-X}}</ref>

}}

== Further reading ==
*Bidmead, Julye: ''The Akitu Festival'', Gorgias Press, 2002, {{ISBN|1-931956-34-0}}

==External links==
*[https://lordmayorsshow.london Official site]
*[https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-11747201 BBC News] ''Crowds gather for Lord Mayor's Show in London'' 13 Nov 2010

{{London}}
{{London history}}
{{commons category|Lord Mayor's Show}}

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[[Category:Festivals in the City of London]]
[[Category:Annual events in London]]
[[Category:Parades in London]]
[[Category:November observances]]
[[Category:Autumn in England]]