I live in the City of London, which is the central financial district with lots of history but not many shops open at the weekends. However, one benefit is that our local council is the City Corporation (est. about 1200AD) which only has 7000 or so residents to look after compared with a daytime population of some 300,000 office workers. Fortunately we get good service, no doubt because we are also electors.
Yesterday the Lord Mayor (not London Mayor Ken Livingstone, but the one with the fancy coach on show each year) invited a few hundred of us to tea at his home and office the Mansion House. You get a letter asking if you want to come, and it seems the Mayor's office is working it's way down the list of locals and running several events a year.
The Mansion House itself is a very splendid 18th century property fit for the many ceremonial duties that fall to a Lord Mayor, and on arrival we were greeted by Alderman Robert Finch and the Lady Mayoress, Patricia, and ushered into the Egyptian Hall, scene of sumptuous banquets and receptions. We got some reasonable sandwiches, cakes and - of course - tea. I spotted a few neighbours and struck up conversations with other residents, including one family who have a house in Bath and a holiday home in the City, rather than the other way round. They come up for quiet weekends. Others live in flats over legal chambers, alleyways off Fleet Street, and the 1960s new-build, the Barbican. I only took a phone, so sorry about the picture quality.
The whole thing was very civilised, with (recorded) chamber music in the background, but I couldn't help wondering what it was all for. Interesting to get a look inside the place, including a fine collection of Dutch and Flemish paintings - though you can do that on open days. The Lord Mayor (and Mayoress) were charming ad happy to chat and pose for pictures. It could have been a chance to find out who else lived in the City, which is generally a bit of a puzzle and difficult to work out amongst all the daily incomers. People did respond well to unsolicited introductions, but most stuck with their companions and chinked their cups a little nervously, I felt. I suppose it would have cost too much overtime to bring in more City officials to do some hosting, but I wondered if people would have welcomed a little light facilitation. No doubt the Lord Mayor would draw the line at Post-it notes on the walls, but I like the notion of tea parties as open space meetings.
Maybe an experiment with a little milling about with flags, waved by our elected representatives, rallying residents from the ancient wards of Cordwainer and Cripplegate, Queenhithe and Tower.
On reflection, perhaps not. It was rather refreshing to enjoy an earlier tradition of getting to know you.
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