The Paviors again took part in this year’s Lord Mayor’s Show, with its float pulled by a steamroller and followed by the large inflatable St Anthony’s Pig. The Pig once again proved to be a major attraction in the procession, judging from the reaction of spectators and, indeed, the BBC TV coverage of the event, with their live commentator describing it as ‘the iconic inflatable pig that we’re all here for; let’s be completely honest, that’s the moment we’re all waiting for’.
The Paviors are very grateful to the companies that sponsored this year’s entry into the Show; these include: JDC Scaffolding London, Sir Robert McAlpine, Weightmans, GRS, Toppesfield, Erith, and Millcroft Scaffolding.
The Lord Mayor’s Show is a tradition dating back hundreds of years, and was originally staged to enable the citizens of London to see the new Lord Mayor. The new Lord Mayor is Peter Estlin. This year, the weather was most kind, as the morning broke clear and dry with blue skies. This was greatly appreciated by the Paviors, their guests and indeed the large number of spectators around the course of the procession of floats.
The Paviors assembled at St Martin le Grande around 10.00am and got ready for the 11.00am start of the parade when the Lord Mayor travels to the Mansion House. The Paviors float was number 81 in the procession. The steam roller was new to the Paviors, being a 1933 Fowler engine which was one of the last of the more modern machines to be manufactured. This year, the steam roller was driven all the way from its base in Surrey to the Show, and needed one tonne of steam coal for the journey. The crew enjoyed the experience thoroughly.
There were 50 walkers accompanying the Paviors’ float, including a dozen children of varying ages, many carrying small inflatable pigs. The Master and Upper Warden were on the front of the float for the customary ‘three cheers for the Lord Mayor’, and the procession then went past St Paul’s Cathedral and the Law Courts to a lunch break just off the embankment. After some light refreshments, the parade restarted around 1.00pm. This time, the Master and Upper Warden walked with their pigs back along the Embankment, up past Blackfriars Station, on to the Royal College of Arms and the Mansion House for the end of the parade.
On finally reaching St Martin le Grande, it was time to pack away the hard-hats, hi-viz vests and to deflate the Pig prior to packing it for storage for next year. Then some 50 of the Paviors and family guests repaired to the Chop House in Paternoster Square for some libations, nibbles and to compare of notes of a truly enjoyable and memorable day. On arriving here, the rain could not wait any further and there was a downpour. Participants were very fortunate to have completed this year’s Lord Mayor’s Show in dry weather – the first time since 2008!
The Photographic Archive contains an album of Images taken at the Lord Mayor’s Show, which can be viewed by clicking here