T he FeltmakerThe Newsletter of the Worshipful Company of Feltmakers November 2008 Master: Nicholas Heal Issue No. 32

Master: Nicholas HealWardens: Susan Wood, John Ray, Eda Rose-Lawson, Anthony Phillips

Immediate Past Master: Geoffrey Vero Clerk: Jollyon CoombsEditorial/IT Committee: Rowland Brown, Judy George, Chris Horsburgh,

Simon Bartley, Eda Rose-Lawson, Peter Shirley and Eric ShawyerRegistered at Stationers Hall

Nicholas Heal was born inWorthing on 20th May 1948.He was educated at Shoreham

Grammar School, before attending theWest Sussex College of Art andDesign, where he qualified as adesigner, and moved to London. Hejoined Dexion Office Landscaping inFebruary 1972. Dexion were pioneersin the field of office planning and one ofthe first companies in London devotedto commercial and industrial officedesign. In 1973 he was invited to joinGlenhill Furnishing, a division of LesserDesign and Build, an internationalproperty and construction group.Nicholas established a teamspecialising in the design of office andresidential accommodation in Europe,Africa and the Middle East; he becameboard director in 1980. His belief thatinterior design could be more costeffectively combined within theconstruction process, led to himjoining Commercial FinishingContractors in 1981, and helping manyof the emerging computer companiesbased in the Thames Valley to achievesuccess. In 2003, he left CFC topursue other interests, and formedNicholas Heal Associates, a spaceplanning and design consultancy, tohelp companies confronted by rapidchange. In 2007 he formed ConsiliumManagement Consultants Ltd. todevelop a corporate numericalmodelling software package, designed

to help companies with large propertyportfolios, review their effectivenessand explore the operational efficienciesand financial implications of change. Nicholas is a non-executive director ofCCL Global, an international group ofcompanies specialising in therecruitment of senior personnel for theoil and gas industry.

In 1977, Nicholas married Ruth Finch.They have three children, two girls,Emma, 29, who lives and works inCopenhagen and Joanna, 27, who isbased in Bristol; their son Nick, 22, hasjust begun his final year at KingsCollege London.

Nicholas was introduced to theWorshipful Company of Feltmakers byhis father, John Heal, and elected ontothe livery in 1989. He joined the Courtof Assistants in 1998. Nicholas wasinvolved with the formation of theFeltmakers’ Livery Society in 1994, toencourage the interest of newliverymen in the life of the Company,serving as its chairman between 1998

and 2003. Elected Senior Assistant in2002, Nicholas has established twoworking committees, the first toorganise the Feltmaker magazine anddevelop the Company's website anddatabase, and the second, made upentirely of milliners, to organise theentertainment for the Company'squatercentenary celebrations in MiddleTemple in 2004. In 2007, the millineryteam was invited to present couturehats at the Mansion House fashionshow in aid of the Bridewell Foundationfor King Edward’s School, Witley. Theywere also responsible for organisingthe Feltmakers’ hat stall at the biennialRed Cross Christmas Fair in 2005 and2007.

The family home is in Maidenhead,within easy reach of the City forNicholas, and of Bradfield College forRuth, where she runs their MedicalCentre.

A keen footballer, Nicholas playedamateur football at both junior andsenior levels before hanging up hisboots at the age of 36, having neverbeen booked or sent off. He nowenjoys watching football, and althougha life long Chelsea fan, prefers to watchArsenal. He likes walking to keep fitwhich is just as well, as he admits toplaying golf badly. Amongst his otherinterests, he lists music, reading, food,wine and good conversation.

Nicho la s Hea l , Ma s t e r Fe l tmake r 08-09

The Master with his Family

Fellow Liverymen

To be elected as the Master of aCity Livery Company is both agreat honour and a privilege. To

become part of an unbroken chain thatstretches back over 400 years is aunique gift for which I will always begrateful. I promise to maintain theexemplary standards set by thoseliverymen who have occupied thisoffice before me, by upholding thevalues embedded in the oath, I havesworn to maintain.

You have bestowed a great honourupon me, and with the support of theLivery and my family, I will continue touphold the promise I made 19 yearsago when I stood before the Court andsaid that I would do my very best to bea good liveryman. My sponsors on thatday were Past Masters Pip Wright andMartin Harper. I am delighted that bothof them were there at the ceremony,supporting me as they have done atevery stage of my progression toMastership.

I was particularly grateful to the Courtfor welcoming my family into theancient ceremony of succession andfor allowing my wife, Ruth, and ourthree children, Emma, Joanna andNicholas to share the occasion withme.

My life in the Livery began when I metGeoffrey Vero in the reception at theClerk's offices in Tothill Street, waitingto be interviewed by the Master of theday, John Elliott, and what seemed tome at the time, to be a dazzling array ofWardens. Colin Semper, as I recall,was also in the waiting room, and Ihave often wondered what he made ofus. Having set out on my journey withGeoffrey Vero, I am delighted that Ihave been able to follow him as Masterand I would like to thank him onyour behalf, most sincerely, forpresiding over what has been a veryhappy and successful year for the

Livery. We have benefited from hisvalued judgment and the intuitiveleadership which has been a feature ofhis Mastership. That he is also blessedwith boundless enthusiasm, goodhumour, and a tremendous sense offun, has meant that we have all enjoyedsharing with him, his year in office.

When I joined the Feltmakers’Company, a liveryman's year wasrestricted to three formal dinners andtwo Tallow Chandlers’ lunches peryear. How grateful we all were whenGeoffrey Farr's initiative led to theformation of the Livery Society; aninvolvement that has helped all of usappreciate the converging intricaciesof livery life and, very importantly, howto buttress enthusiasm with sensitivity,to ensure that today's initiative doesnot become tomorrow’s yoke.

Whilst I do not have a specific themefor my year, I certainly have an agenda,as no doubt most of you would expect.With the help of the Assistants belowthe chair, we shall be implementing acascading system of directcommunications, that I hope will bringthe Livery much closer together, toencourage harmony and sharedpurpose in all that we do together.

I will also be introducing some lessformal events, and later in the year, weshall be holding two City Walks, whichwill be led by Murray Craig, Clerk to theChamberlain’s Court and anacknowledged expert on the City ofLondon. They will be followed by asumptuous supper and a short talkabout an aspect of felt.

There will be a mid-summer lunch atthe Cavalry & Guards Club on Tuesday14th July, for liverymen and theirpartners only. This occasion will befocused on millinery, and will include ahat show by our milliners, RachelTrevor-Morgan and Eda Rose-Lawson.This charming idea came from theUpper Warden, Susan Wood; an

initiative for which she is to becongratulated.

By the time you are reading thesenotes, Common Hall will have comeand gone. This important initiative,originally conceived by CommanderJohn Curteis RNR, and first presentedto the company by David Bentata in2002, will, I hope, become part of ourLivery programme for the future. Iwould particularly like to thank PeterGrant for his paper on the activities ofThe Feltmakers’ Charitable Foundationand our keynote speaker, Ted Andrew,whose talk on the use of what is themodern, man-made equivalent of felt,was, I believe, of great significance.Having started looking into the subjectof felt some five years ago, I have beenamazed at how many other uses therehave been for felt, since antiquity, apartfrom putting it on your head. Needlefelt products have been developed withthe enhanced qualities of traditionalfelt, but which also satisfy the rigorousdemands of modern industry. Thecontinued development of theseproducts will ensure that there will bemarkets for man-made felt forgenerations to come. Fortunately theywill never replace the felts used formaking hats.

I was very grateful to David Levin, theheadmaster of the City of LondonSchool for Boys, for proposing thetoast to the Company, at theInstallation Dinner, in response to yetanother excellent speech to the guests,delivered by Simon Bartley. David'sspeech was delightfully entertainingand we now all appreciate howimportant it is to stay down wind of arhino! David also stressed theimportant role that private educationhas in helping to address the issues ofpetty bureaucracy in the educationsystem, and how the City of LondonSchool was able to share its facilities,and provide support to some of thebeleaguered state schools in theneighbouring boroughs.

Th e Ma s t e r ’ s Message

An apposite introduction to another ofmy objectives for the year ahead is tospend time in working to develop anunderstanding with the Livery SchoolsLink. We will establish a team made upfrom Feltmakers with an educationalbackground, to develop a skillsframework for our company, andcatalogue opportunities open toliverymen wishing to support youngpeople, as they consider their futureafter education.

I am also delighted to confirm thatLieutenant Colonel Simon Wilkinsonhas kindly agreed to pursue GeoffreyVero's initiative and investigate ways inwhich we might support units of theArmy Cadet Association, which areengaged in providing activities that willhelp keep some of the latch-keygeneration of young men and womenoff our city streets. Simon will also beconsidering how best to providesupport to recognise and encouragethose men and women who are willingto give up their spare time and takeresponsibility for developing andrunning the training programmes.

The diary of events for the year hasbeen published on the website anddistributed by the Clerk. May I ask youto respond as promptly as you can tothe proformas that are despatched byJollyon. It would be most helpful,particularly on those occasions whenwe have an upper limit on the numberof places available, in order to avoiddisappointment. This year our carol service will be heldat the Church of Saint Bartholomew theGreat, on Tuesday 16th December, andit gives me great pleasure to tell youthat this year we are with bells! By thekind mediation of Liverymen PeterShirley, the peal of bells will be rung incelebration of Christmas, and for yourenjoyment, as we enter and leave thechurch.

The Spring Livery Dinner will be held atVintners’ Hall on Monday 6th April, andour guest speaker will be theubiquitous Murray Craig, Clerk to theChamberlain’s Court. Murray has beenthe welcoming face that greets all newliverymen who go to be sworn in, and

receive the Freedom of the City ofLondon. A man of great humour, whowas born and brought up in Luton, andis no stranger to the world of Hats.Murray will explain the workings of theChamberlain’s Court, complete withanecdotes about the great and goodwho have crossed his threshold sincehe took up office in 1997.

The Banquet will be held at theMansion House on Friday 12th. June,and we will repeat the early start, whichproved so successful last year,allowing us to retire in good order and

vacate the Egyptian room at the end ofthe dinner; we to enjoy a leisurelystirrup cup, and the catering team toclear the room.

This year our dear Clerk, nowrecovered from his major heart surgeryof barely eighteen months ago, hasvolunteered to row the Thames from itssource in the Cotswolds, down to theCity of London. Jollyon will be buildinghis own boat in which to negotiate thelarge number of locks and other waterhazards, which on this occasion willinclude the Feltmakers’ Livery Society,whose initial contribution appears to bein plotting all the pubs along the route,from which to cheer our intrepid Clerkon his way. Jollyon has assured us thathe will be very much trimmer by the 1stMay. The Society, on the other hand, isincreasing the insurance, and planninga Viking funeral at Pangbourne, whereJollyon spent his school days. This is aterrific fund raising opportunity, andone where all the Livery can beinvolved in giving Jollyon our 100 percent support.

A good deal of meticulous planningand hard work is required for eventslike these to be successful, and so onbehalf of us all, I would like to thank ourClerk, Major Jollyon Coombs, for theimpeccable arrangements he makes toensure that our events are wellorganised and run seamlessly. I think itsays much about the character of theFeltmakers that the Christmasmessage from our Chaplain, the VeryReverend Colin Semper, is eagerlyawaited by his congregation at ourcarol service every year. I would like torecognise the important part he playsin the spiritual welfare of ourcommunity, and thank him on behalf ofthe flock, for his guidance.

How well I recall Past Master JohnElliott's now familiar bidding, when Icame before the Court in July 1989;words which have remained with methrough the years, and which I feel surewill resonate with every liverymanlong after this article has become adistant memory. "We know that withinthe Livery, there are kindred spirits, andwe trust you will find among itsmembers, good companions withwhom you will share a long and happyassociation" My fellow liverymen, it gives me greatpleasure to tell you that I have beensurrounded by good companions andkindred spirits, ever since.

Good communication is, I believe, thefoundation upon which any successfulorganisation is built, and I shall worktirelessly in pursuit of opportunities thatwill help bind the Livery closer together.May I wish you all a happy andenjoyable year ahead, and I lookforward to the pleasure of yourcompany on every occasion that wemeet. Thank you for entrusting me withthe Mastership of this ancientCompany, for sharing this journey withme, and for the many good wishes andoffers of support that I have receivedfrom you all. I will try my very best todischarge my duties andresponsibilities with good humour andhumility.

Thank you all very much indeed.Nicholas Heal The Master

With the Master havingselected "service" as one ofhis themes for the year, it was

entirely appropriate that the Clerkshould decide that Summer 2008 wasthe perfect time to lead a Feltmakertour of the Somme battlefields.Accordingly, twelve of us gathered inAlbert on the afternoon of 23rd July:

the Master and Frankie, the UpperWarden and Ruth, The Renter Wardenand her daughter, Sarah, the ThirdWarden and Rosemary, Past MastersWright and Curteis, our gallant Clerkand his friend and fellow WelshGuardsman, Rhydian Vaughan, whowas to be our guide.

Over the next two days they led us allalong the line of the battle, fromSheffield Memorial Park to theGuillemont Road Cemetery. We visitedthe exact spots where keyengagements took place, starting at7.30am on 1st July 1916. We heardstories of uplifting heroism andgallantry but also saw in peacefulcemeteries and splendid memorialsevidence of the dreadful loss of life, onboth sides. We were lucky to havewarm sunshine for the whole tour, andonly found the famous Somme mud inthe very centre of Delville Wood. Each

member of the party would probablyselect a different moment that touchedthem deeply: Past Master Curteislocating the name of his uncle on themajestic Thiepval memorial, the poemsread at each site by Frankie, the graveof the 16 year old boy from the RoyalFlying Corps, Jewish German soldiersburied side by side with Christian

comrades, or the story of the Reverend"it's only me" Hardy, recounted byJollyon on the exact spot where Hardyearned a VC by helping a woundedofficer, within feet of a German position

that was still clearly identifiable 92years later.

We toasted Pip Wright's birthday atNewfoundland Memorial Park with amemorable horse's neck cocktail(copyright Messrs, Wright and Curteis),served, of course, in Feltmakerglasses, transported precisely for thepurpose. Pip read a poem that his son,Ian, had composed for the occasionand recited a prayer for the fallen byPeter Mullen, Vicar of St Sepulchre's. Itincluded the beautiful line: "in ourmonuments and mementos we recallwith gratitude the sacrifice of thosewho gave their lives for our country."

Our trip concluded with a visit to theunderground quarry hideouts in Arrasand the Canadian memorial at VimyRidge. We returned in reflective mood.As Nick Heal put it so well, each of uswas touched by the stillness of an areathat once witnessed sacrifice on such ascale. Our thanks to Jollyon fororganising a splendid few days. A tripthat should be repeated.Susan Wood

Fe l tmake r s on th e Somme

23-25 Ju ly 2008

Canadian Monument at Vimy Ridge

Thiepval monument, designed by Lutyens.

Past Master Curteis locating his uncle's name onthe Thiepval monument

The morning of 28 April was brightand sunny which augured wellfor judging the work of a very

large number of millinery students atHaberdashers’ Hall in the City ofLondon.

The students came from France,Germany and England and we weredelighted to find the standard of workso high this year.

The panel of judges was headed byWilliam Horsman ably assisted by EdaRose-Lawson, Rachel Trevor Morgan,Yvette Jeffs, Carole Denford from TheHat Magazine, Dillon - DesignConsultant at Philip Somerville,Geoffrey Vero - Master of theFeltmakers, Major Jollyon Coombs,Clerk to the Feltmakers, and myself. Atthe end of the judging we were joinedby the Lady Mayoress, Mrs. DavidLewis, accompanied by Mrs. Ian Luderand Mrs. Michael Bear, wives ofAldermen and Sheriffs, to discuss thework the judges had seen.

The first prize of £1,000.00 wasawarded to Paul Stafford fromKensington and Chelsea School of Art.

Paul had made a beautiful headpieceof flowers and leaves in black feltdiscreetly ornamented with diamanté.

The second prize of £500.00 went toSvenja Otten from Munster, Germany.The top of the crown of Svenja’s whiteand black felt hat was decorated with acameo also made of felt.

The £250.00 third prize was won byNankyu Park - Kensington and ChelseaSchool of Art. Nankyu had made aberet in royal blue felt lined with

orange, the orange being made visiblethrough slashes in the felt.

Four further prizes of £100.00 wereawarded to each of the followingstudents:-

• The Craftsmanship Award went toOlivia Roht - Kensington and ChelseaSchool of Art for a headpiece of wiredleaves decorated with stones.

• The Commercial Appeal Award waswon by Sue Carter from HuddersfieldCreative Studies for a grey felt cloche

with contrasting underbrim which wasvisible through slashes in the brim

• Artwork and Presentation Awardwent to Bianca Harrington - Kensingtonand Chelsea School of Art for a whitefelt alice band trimmed with twists ofbeige and stone felt.

• The Innovative Use of Felt Awardwas deservedly given to Emma Clark -Kensington and Chelsea School of Artfor her gossamer white felt blown on topale grey crin.

Having completed the judging, theJudges, along with the Lady Mayoressand her Ladies, then enjoyed adelicious lunch in the beautifulsurroundings of the Haberdashers’Hall.

Paul Stafford, the winner of the first

prize was a guest at the Feltmakers’Ladies Banquet at the Mansion Housewhere he received his award. We weretold he intends to continue his career inmillinery when he finishes his studies.Freddie Fox

Th e Fe l tmake r s ’ Des ign Awa rd 2008

Second Pr iz e

Th i rd Pr iz e

Fi r s t Pr iz e

2007 was a difficult year for theFoundation due to the untimelydeaths of both our Chairman

Brian Burgess and also Derek Bonhamwho through his position as Master ofthe Company was an ex officio Trustee.In the first place we needed to findreplacement Trustees and did so in theshape of our then new Master GeoffreyVero, Past Master John Curteis andSimon Curtis all of whom have alreadymade their mark in their different ways.I was invited to take over the role ofChairman.

My first job as Chairman was to reviewour corporate governance and via anew Trust Deed introduce, inter alia,new arrangements for fixed terms ofoffice for Trustees and the ability toappoint a greater number of Trusteesthan the restricted number allowed forin the original Deed. I am pleased to beable to say that the new Deed hasreceived the blessing of the CharityCommission and is now operative.

The good news for 2008 is that, in spiteof the Tsunami in the financial worldwhich has seriously impacted thevalues of our investments, we estimatethat our grant making capacity will be£35,000, £10,000 greater than the£25,000 we gave away in 2007. The

increase arises from a combination offactors; the steady and very welcomeincrease in the number of Feltmakersmaking annual contributions to theCharity under our St Clementsscheme, and a couple of imaginativefund raising initiatives by Geoffrey Veroand Simon Curtis (both Trustees). Webelieve that our investment income isunlikely to be significantly affected bythe upheavals in the financial world atleast in the current financial year.

I felt that it would be of interest to givean outline of where the money goes. Inthe first place, and ever since theFoundation was formed in 1969, andalso with the partial support of theHaberdashers Charity, we make grantsto pensioners of the Hatting Industry. In2007 we gave just under £9,000.

We then have a number of charitieswhich we regularly support. For the lastfour years (and in some cases muchlonger) we provided prize money forthe Feltmaker Design Award,responded to the annual Lord Mayor’scharity appeal, and provided a bursaryto the hat-making students atKensington & Chelsea Art College. Wealso supported Lord Mayor Treloar’sCollege for disabled children,Providence Row which cares for the

homeless in East London (and chairedby Simon Bartley), the Sheriffs’ andRecorders’ Fund for the relief of ex-prisoners and their families, and theShooting Star Children’s Hospice inHampton.

Each year we also respond to anumber of other appeals for help andlast year, in line with the custom ofhaving a Master’s Charity each year,we gave £1,000 to Cancer ResearchUK in recognition of Derek Bonham’sillness.

For 2008 our increased capacity forgrant-making will enable us to adoptsome new charities and also increasethe amount that we give to some of ourregulars. Finding suitable charities tosupport is quite a challenge as we arekeen to find smaller charities that arerelevant to our company throughlocation and industry and inconsequence we do not normally givemoney to individuals or nationalcharities. We like the idea of supportingthe charitable activities of Liverymen ifthey broadly fit our criteria and wouldinvite you to contact The Clerk shouldyou like us to consider something thatyou are involved with. Peter GrantChairman of Trustees

Fe l tmake r s Cha r i tab l e Founda t i on

On St. John’s Day, last mid-summer, it was not just twonew Sheriffs that were chosen

by the many liverymen assembled inthe Guildhall, but also Pip Wright, PastMaster of the Feltmakers, who was re-elected as Ale Conner for the City ofLondon. The first Ale Conner waselected in August 1551, with theresponsibility for surveying the quality,measure and cost of ale served atestablishments in the City, whendirected to do so by the City Aldermen.

Our photograph shows Pip, togetherwith the first lady to be chosen as AleConner, Dr. C. Rigden, the Senior

Warden of the Constructors’ Company.They were giving a demonstration oftheir work in the crypt of the Guildhall;just one of the exciting events stagedat last year’s Red Cross ChristmasMarket. The Livery congratulates Pip,not only on his re-election to this post,but for his starring role in Griff RhysJones’ TV programme on the City ofLondon, broadcast on 15th October2008, in which he revealed to thestunned viewers why he has apenchant for leather trousers!Peter Shirley

Pa s t Ma s t e r P ip Wrigh t , A l e Conne r

Pairs Cricket Competition22nd May 2008A warm pleasant evening at AmershamCricket Club, with 14 players in thepairs competition, and 24 attendees forthe buffet supper afterwards. For thefirst time for many years, the currentMaster participated as a player. Thecompetition was won by a pairincluding Rob McLeod, husband of

Assistant Sarah McLeod, beating PastMaster Geoffrey Farr and partner byone point.

Match against Chiltern X1June 21st 2008The Feltmakers batted first and scored129 runs in 25 overs. The oppositioncould only manage 89 runs in their 25overs, giving the Feltmakers a

comfortable victory.Many thanks to Liveryman MikeBedford for giving a new set of cricketequipment to the Feltmakers.

Both events were organised byAssistant Peter Simeons, with the helpof Simon Curtis.Peter Simeons

Cri ck e t a c t i v i t i e s 2008

Queen’s Club is situated in oneof London’s finest squaresand plays host to some

prestigious tennis tournaments.Established in 1886 and named afterQueen Victoria, its first patron, the Clubwas purchased in 2007 from the LTA byits members and will continue as anindependent members club.

The appalling weather earlier in themonth did not bode well andcontingency plans were in place!Luckily, the rains held off and a cloudysky with occasional sunshineprevailed. We achieved a full house of15 teams of four, two mixed pairs per

team, from a wide range of Liverycompanies. We were pleased towelcome the Woolmen for the firsttime, and also to welcome back theChartered Accountants who have notplayed for some years. Nick Heal, theUpper Warden, Colin Semper and theClerk, together with a number of diningFeltmakers, came to support the finalstages of the tournament.

Despite a sabbatical last year to getmarried, Christopher Kurkjian and hissister, Alexandra Kurkjian, won theFeltmakers’ Trophy yet again, withMichael Jones and Sally Sawyer of theVintners in runner-up position. In the

Plate Competition, the GrocersStephen Goodhart and Clare Graffeytriumphed over the Leathersellerspairing of Julian Bacon and PipScaramanga.

Dinner for 88 players and guests washeld in the President’s room with theprizes presented by Nick Heal for thesecond year in succession. Heanticipates being word perfect in hisyear as Master.

Feltmakers who would like to play innext year’s tournament on Thursday17th September should contactJeremy Brassington or Dominic Ely.Jeremy Brassington

In t e r L iv e ry Tenn i s Tournament 2008

Two teams from the Feltmakerswere amongst the manyLiverymen who assembled at

Holland & Holland’s shooting groundat Northolt in May, for the annual Inter-Livery shoot, organised by theEnvironmental Cleaners’Company.Team members includedSimon Wilkinson, Peter Winfield,Simon Miller, William Battersby, JollyonCoombs and Brian Minnighan. Past

Master Horsman attended for lunch.

Muster was early for breakfast andregistration, and then the shootingstarted at 9-30am, finishing for a well-earned lunch at 2-30pm. Both teamsshot well, finishing just below half wayin the competition. Our Clerk decidedto use a (4.10) small bore gun for theentire round and excelled on the HighTower to the extent of meriting

applause for his score.

An excellent lunch followed, afterwhich the prizes were awarded.Winners were the Saddlers, Butchersand Farriers, and the event raisedsome £4,500 for charity.

Next years event is scheduled for May20th.Brian Minnighan

In t e r L iv e ry Shoo t 2008

One of the many delights ofbeing a Feltmaker is that, aswe have no hall of our own, we

are privileged to visit many of the othervaried and interesting livery hallsaround the City of London. This wasparticularly the case on 7th April, as wecrowded into the magnificent wooden-panelled splendour of Skinners’ Hall.The Master had encouraged his fellowLiverymen, this year, to invite friendswith links to the Services as theirguests, and the presence of animpressive number of senior officers(retired or still on active service) fromall three Armed Forces gave a distinctlymilitary feel to this year’s Spring LiveryDinner. In recognition of his choice ofthe theme of Service, the Master’sprincipal guest was Major GeneralJohn Holmes DSO, OBE, MC, an oldfriend since the time that they wereboth pupils at Mill Hill School. Thepromise of an interesting speech fromhim no doubt explained why ourguests this year also included analmost unprecedented number ofvisiting Masters; no fewer than elevenaccompanied by a total of sixsupporting clerks.

We have come to expect excellent foodand wines at our formal dinners andthe Skinners Hall did us proud. Afterour Chaplain, Colin Semper, hadblessed the meal with a grace in the

personal and thoughtful style that isnow his hallmark, we enjoyed asplendid feast. After the loyal toasts,the guests were welcomed byAssistant Edward Hutton. He managedthe daunting task of introducing us toso many distinguished guests, with witand humour and also whetted ourappetite to hear more from theMaster’s principal guest, by hinting athis impressive military career. MajorGeneral Holmes did not disappoint andin proposing the toast to the Company,he included fascinating details of hislife in the army, and we were allimpressed by the very modest way hedescribed the act that won him the MCin Northern Ireland in 1971.

The Master, responding for theFeltmakers’ Company, expanded onthe military theme, mentioning more ofour guests from the Services, and also

thanked another most welcome guest,Lt. Commander Stephen McGlory,Executive Officer of ‘our own’ HMSLancaster, whose ship’s companyhosted a day on board for Liverymenand their families at Portsmouth inMarch. Finally, before inviting all to joinhim in the customary stirrup cup, theMaster encouraged support for hissponsored slim for the St. Clement’sFund charity, which was inauguratedby his being weighed, just before thestart of that evening’s dinner.Peter Shirley & Edward Hutton

Spr ing Liv e ry Dinne r 2008

The memorial service for PastMaster Derek Bonham was heldat St. Paul’s Church in

Knightsbridge on Tuesday 11th March.Derek’s widow, Dicky, daughters andseveral hundred friends, family andformer business colleagues attended amoving and uplifting service. TheMaster and his wife and manyFeltmakers were in attendance.

Eulogies were delivered by Ian Baileyand Gareth David and providedfascinating insights into Derek’s life,both public and private. Daughter,Emma Bonham read a thought-provoking passage from AlbertSchweitzer’s ‘Memoirs of Childhoodand Youth’.

The Choir of St Paul’s Knightsbridge,

along with soprano soloist Helen Swiftand harpist Esther Jansen, performedthe most beautiful selection of choraland solo pieces during the service.

A champagne reception was held inthe magnificent ballroom of theBerkeley Hotel, a place which heldmany happy memories for theBonhams. Jeremy Brassington

A Ce l eb ra t i on o f th e L i f e o f Der ek

Bonham, FCA, FCT.

Ins ta l la t i on Dinne r 2008

The Installation Dinner was held atHaberdashers’ Hall on 3rdOctober 2008. Our new Master

for 2008/9, Nicholas Heal, had beenelected at the Court meeting prior tothe reception and dinner. In excess of128 Liverymen and guests (a fullhouse) attended and the menu hadbeen planned with great care withroast partridge being the mainattraction and of course a splendidselection of wines! This year grace, theLaudi Spirituali, was sung, led byThomas Herford, the principle tenorfrom the choir of St Bartholomew theGreat. The principal guest was DavidLevin who has been headmaster of the

City of London School since 1999. TheMaster’s wife Ruth and their familywere also present for this greatoccasion.

Senior Assistant, Simon Bartleywelcomed the guests and in hisspeech referred to the previousoccasions at which he had enjoyed theprivilege of speaking and hoped thathe was making progress! In welcomingthe Masters of other Livery companies,he gave a brief synopsis of theircareers and positions held. Of course,in welcoming the Master Haberdasherit was to his “home” Hall for use ofwhich the Feltmakers are very gratefulfor its use each year for our InstallationDinner. The visiting Masters includedthe Tallow Chandlers, Woolmen,Watermen & Lightermen and the UpperBailiff of the Weavers.

David Levin, the Master’s PrincipalGuest, started by describing how hehad taken over as the headmaster ofthe Royal Grammar School in HighWycombe from Liveryman RowlandBrown. He congratulated him on thestandards within the school and saidwhat a great Headmaster he must havebeen. David in a very entertainingspeech described his experienceswithin education in South Africa. Hereferred to the impact of the health andsafety legislation in the UK and madeamusing comparisons with localpractices. On a serious note he wasconcerned about education being apolitical football and suggested that itwas too important for this. Education inLondon was under great stress withboth financial and social implications tobe taken into account. He had beenable to develop the City of LondonSchool assisted by the Corporation ofLondon, which matches individualschool fund raising. Further, he haddeveloped a sharing of facilities andsupport to local state schools. Hefinished by saying that the educationissues are stark and urgent. He thenproposed the toast of the Master andthe Feltmakers’ Company. The Master in his response thankedDavid Levin for proposing the Toast tothe Company so eloquently and for theinsight into the life of the City of LondonSchool. He also thanked the Court forhis election and the support of fellowLiverymen.

He described his entry into thecompany with Past Master GeoffreyVero and the Chaplin, Colin Semperbeing interviewed by Past MastersJohn Elliott, Martin Harper and PipWright. He congratulated Past MasterGeoffrey Vero for presiding over a verysuccessful year as Master, in which hedisplayed valued judgement andintuitive leadership. additionallyblessed with boundless enthusiasmand good humour!He explained that one of his objectivesfor the year was to create greateropportunity for involvement by

members of the Livery and to providemore occasions to enjoy each other’scompany. Common Hall was plannedfor 28th October and he will beintroducing a cascading system ofdirect communication. There will betwo “Walki-Talki” evenings – walks inthe City of London - followed bysupper. There will be also a MidSummer Lunch in 2009 in addition tothe usual events held each year.

The Master intends to involve theCompany further in education with abetter understanding of the LiverySchools Link and the involvement ofLiverymen in working with andmentoring young people. The initiativeto investigate ways of supporting unitsof the Army Cadet Association will alsobe pursued.

The Master then turned tocongratulating those involved in raisingmoney for charity, particularly SimonCurtis and his son, who raised over£3,500 by successfully completing an87 mile trek along the Ridgway. TheClerk is building a boat to row theThames from the Cotwolds to the Cityof London in the Summer 2009.

And lastly he congratulated PastMaster Peter Keens, in celebrating his30th anniversary since becomingMaster.

In all a very entertaining and enjoyableevening! Anthony Phillips

The Chaplain , The Very Rev. Colin Semper

David Levin, guest speaker

Anthony Phillips was elected tothe Feltmakers’ in 1995 andsoon became involved with the

Livery, being on the Society committeefor many years during which time heorganised the Inter Livery TennisTournament at Queen’s Club for someseven years. He was elected to theCourt in 1999. He joined the RenterWarden’s Committee in 2002 andbecame Vice-Chairman in 2006.

Anthony commenced his career as achemist with the Rio Tinto ZincCorporation, but soon realised that thisdid not offer much excitement andswitched into retailing. He joined Bhsplc where he became the buying andmarketing Director for some ten years.In those days Bhs had in excess of10% of the UK ladies’ millinery market.He was appointed Managing Directorof The Littlewoods Organisation plc,the privately owned conglomerate inretail, mail order and football pools. He

then made a complete change incareer to do M&A work with smallengineering companies followingwhich he joined a boutique merchantbank investing in and developing smallpublic companies to increase

shareholder value. For the last twentyyears he has been chairman of manybusinesses and has worked as acompany “Doctor” turning round and

developing companies in a variety ofindustries including clothing andtextiles, corporate mailing, electronicsand the motor industries. He is nowwinding down with non executivedirector roles.

In his spare time he is a member of St.George’s Hill Golf Club and is trying toreduce his handicap. Elsewhere, he isstill trying to improve his tennis. He isinvolved with other clubs and societiesand carries out charitable work mainlyfor Macmillan Cancer Support.

Many years ago he planned to retire toTenerife in search of the sun, hopefullya better economic climate and has asecond home in Los Gigantes.However life does not always work outas one would hope – a wife and twoblack labradors had other ideas! Onthe other hand he will now have moretime to devote to the Livery to moveforward hopefully to become Master ofthe Company.

Th e New Four th Wa rd en

One of the Charities that theCompany supports isProvidence Row. Senior Court

Assistant Simon Bartley is Chairman ofProvidence Row and here tells us alittle about its history and work.Providence Row was established in

1840 by a Catholic Priest with the helpof an order of nuns who were sent fromIreland to help him. It was set up tohelp the poor and homeless people

sleeping rough around FinsburySquare on the edges of what was therichest square-mile in the World – theCity of London. Set up to help anyonewho needed it, irrespective of theirreligion or nationality, it continues tohelp exactly the same client group

today as it did nearly 150 years ago.Over 4,000 different individuals visit theProvidence Row Day Centre every yearwith about 35 per cent of them visiting

for the first time. 13 per cent of ourvisitors are female, many of whom arecommercial sex workers. 12 per cent ofattendees are under the age of 25 and10 per cent older than 55. Some 40per cent of the people who visit arefrom abroad – just as they were in theearly days when, as now, the East Endof London was a magnet for refugees.Most visitors have complex needs andthese are normally a mixture of druguse, depression, alcohol misuse andlearning difficulties, all of which areexacerbated by having no home orwork.

Providence Row is run by a small staffand a large team of volunteers. It isfunded primarily from charitabledonations and also receives somemoney from the Corporation of Londonand the London Borough of TowerHamlets where it is based.Simon Bartley

Prov id enc e Row Cha r i ty

Every year the Guilds of Zurichand the townspeople celebrate,with great gusto, their traditional

Spring festival, Sechseläuten. Thename refers to the bell tolling to signalthe end of the working day movingfrom 5pm in winter to 6pm in Summer.

This year I was invited, together withmy partner Linda, and with 14 otherPast Masters and one current Master to

go on an organised visit, linking in withour sister Guild in Zurich, the Zunft zurWaag, the guild involved in hatting andweaving.

On the Saturday evening, we were allreceived by the Mayor of Zurich andthere followed a series of speechesfrom the Mayor, from some of theGuildmasters and from the Chairmanof our Past Masters’ Association.

On the Sunday there was a colourfulchildren’s parade in costume and onthe Monday, the main processions andcelebrations. On that day, the Guilds(26 of them) process through Zurich,each dressed in distinctive costumes,accompanied by their own bands and,in many cases, by horsemen andwomen, also in the costume of theirrespective Guilds.

After processing through the streets,everyone arrives at theSechseläutenplatz where a 40-50fthigh bonfire has been prepared. Ontop of it is a huge effigy of a snowman,called the Böögg (pronounced Burg)packed with explosives. He represents“The Old Man of Winter”. At 6 o’clock,the bonfire is lit and the horsemen fromthe Guilds gallop round it.

There was much feasting and I wasextremely well looked after by theWaag. I was called for at 9.45am for thefirst celebratory drink of the day andwent, hatted, gowned and badged tothe top of the highest bell tower inZurich before marching to theZunfthaus for lunch and many wittyspeeches from the Guildmaster and hisguests; this being the football Euro2008, co-hosted by Switzerland andAustria, the two principal organiserswere our guests and spoke at lunchbefore the procession.

In the evening, there was another bigdinner and more speeches. I wasasked to speak at this stage and gavea rousing speech in High German, asmy Swiss-German is non-existent,during which I conveyed fraternalgreetings from our Master and aninvitation to René and his wife to attendour Feltmakers’ Banquet at theMansion House another year.

After more food and beer at midnight,more speeches and visits from otherGuilds, much laughter and goodfellowship, I wended my way back toour hotel in the early hours of themorning to compare notes with a verysleepy Linda, who had enjoyed a veryhappy day with the other ladies.

Thus ended my very firstSechseläuten.David Bentata

Vis i t t o Zur i ch

The Court approved theCompany’s accounts for theyear ended 31st December 2007

on 7th April 2008. The accountsshowed a slight increase in the deficitfor the year at £2,300 compared to adeficit of £2,000 for the previous year.Income from quarterage showed a

satisfactory increase, whilst ourinvestment income increased by some35 per cent as a result of transferringsome of the Company’s investmentsinto higher yielding shares during theyear. Expenditure increased by 19.3per cent mainly due to the change inthe Clerk’s employment status during

the prior year. Our investmentsdepreciated in value by £60,000. At31st December 2007, the Company’sfunds stood at £354,000.John RayRenter Warden

Accoun t s Summa ry

On a fine spring day, a mixedgroup of Feltmakers, includingThe Master, Wardens, their

spouses and friends, all met up by theUnicorn Gate at Her Majesty’s NavalDockyard, Portsmouth, to accept theinvitation to go aboard HMS Lancasterwhile she was alongside for a generalmaintenance period.

We were warmly welcomed by the XO,Lt Commander Stephen McGlory, whohas in the past been a guest of theCompany, and with the help of histeam of officers, we were treated to avery interesting and thought-provokingday.

HMS Lancaster was launched by HerMajesty The Queen at the Yarrowshipyard in 1990, and the ship is veryproud of the fact that, in her role as theDuke of Lancaster, the Queen takes avery special interest in the vessel. Theroyal connection was furtherhighlighted by the production of arather splendid felt hat with a nauticalmotif, which had been presented bythe Feltmakers’ Company to HerMajesty, with the intention that it beworn when reviewing the fleet as partof the Armada Anniversarycelebrations in 1988. Sadly, as PastMaster Pip Wright informed us, theproduction of the hat was unfortunatelydelayed, and the hat didn’t get to beworn on the day after all. However, itwas eventually given to the Queen’sfavourite ship for safe keeping, and itsairing to mark our visit was a nice linkbetween our Company and HMS

Lancaster.We were given a full briefing in theOperations Room, the nerve centre inthe bowels of this Type 23 Frigate, andI was struck by how modern warfare isconducted against an enemy who ismerely a blip on a screen. The shipcan be called upon to perform manydifferent duties, from anti submarine

warfare, to flying the flag on behalf ofthe Government in far flung corners ofthe world. It is a little known fact thatcurrently, in Afghanistan, there are over5,000 Royal Navy personnel serving,mainly from the Royal Marines andmedical staff, but it goes to show thateven in mountainous, landlockedcountries, the Senior Service can becalled upon!

After a hearty lunch, where we werejoined by the Captain, CommanderRichard Moss, a full tour of the shipcommenced, and it was to the credit ofthe guests who had partaken of somewine with their meal, that they madethe ascents and descents on the verysteep ladders between decks, seemeffortless. On the Bridge, it wascomforting to learn that despite all ofthe electronic wizardry on display,there were still old fashioned charts forthe Navigation Officer to call upon as alast resort. A trip to the Galleyproduced the telling statistic that eachman and woman on board has to befed three square meals for £2.50 perday, less than a guest at Her Majesty’spleasure. I can report that if the farewith which we were so generously

entertained is an example of theirnormal victuals, then the chefs areindeed miracle workers. And welearned that the ship’s 4.5 inch gun ispowerful enough for it to hit GatwickAirport if the vessel was moored in theThames – lets hope that this particularboast never gets to be tested.

My favourite story from the day,whether fact or fiction, concerned thecurtains and soft furnishings in theward room and officers quarters, whichall were made from the same, slightlytired, floral material, which to mysomewhat untrained eye, seemed todate from the 1970s. Apparently whenthe order was placed for 10,000 yardsof this cloth to provide for the Navy’sneeds for some years to come, an overexcited clerk added another zero to thequantity required by mistake. Theorder placed, the Navy were forced toconstruct a new warehouse just tokeep the surplus fabric, which is onlynow close to being used up!

The next duty for HMS Lancaster is atour of the Arabian Gulf, protecting thesea lanes and off shore oil installationsof the region, and we wish all theofficers and crew a safe trip, whilecarrying out this very important task.

We also wish Commander RichardMoss well, as he moves on in the nearfuture to take up a shore based staffposition. If his successor is only half assupportive of the link that we have withHMS Lancaster, then I am sure that theassociation will continue to go fromstrength to strength.

The overriding impression that I gotfrom the day, was how genuinelypleased the officers and crew of HMSLancaster were to have us aboard, andboth the warmth of the welcome andthe rare opportunity to spend sometime aboard an active warship, meantthat all the Feltmakers and their guestspresent, were very privileged indeed tohave enjoyed such a wonderful day.Simon Millar

A Ta s t e o f th e Navy

Alot changes in a year - in thecase of HMS Lancaster thatcertainly is the case. In

Autumn last year she was coming tothe end of a series of NATO exercisesin the Baltic, culminating in goodwillvisits to Poland and Germany. As

2008 draws to a close she finds herselfin the Northern Arabian Gulf patrollingIraqi territorial waters, providing avisible and physical deterrent toprotect the offshore oil installations ofthis troubled state. Additionally. manythings have changed internally inLancaster over this period. At the startof May Commander Richard Mosshanded over command to CommanderRory Bryan who will be entrusted withthe Queen’s own frigate until sheenters refit in 2010.

With the programme for 2008 alreadyplanned the aim was to regenerate theRed Rose frigate so that she coulddeploy through the Mediterranean andthe Red Sea to spend seven monthson operations off the Horn of Africa andin the Arabian Gulf. To be fully readyfor this new mission, new equipmentwas required to increase the boat liftingcapacity, enhance the sensor suite andalso to ensure that the weaponry andmissiles were of the latest update andmodification. In the middle of thismaintenance period, and sadly notlooking her best, Lancaster had the

privilege in March 2008 of hosting aparty of Feltmakers.

With the equipment fitted and tested inthe spring, the summer term was spentpreparing the manpower. An intensivepackage of training was planned under

the guidance of Flag Officer SeaTraining in Plymouth. The Ship initiallyspent six weeks conducting a hugevariety of training evolutions from manoverboard exercises, machinerybreakdown drills, towing strickenvessels, to full scale war. OnceLanacaster had proven herself ready tofight and deal with any contingentoperations, her training subtly changedto focus on the maritime securitytasking that she is now undertaking offthe coast of Iraq.

Lancaster has been tasked withprotecting two oil platforms in theNorthern Gulf which between themaccount for over 95 per cent of Iraq’soil exports (two per cent of world oil).Without the vital economic outputthese provide, Iraq’s socio-economicfuture would sorely be in doubt. Giventhe importance of these installationsthere is now a multi-national force ofUS, UK, Australian and Iraqi marines,ships and patrol craft protecting them.The platforms were the target of aterrorist attack in 2004 which was foiledbut sadly ended in the loss of life of

several US sailors from USS Firebolt.With the additional tasking of providingtraining to the Iraqi Navy and Marines,so that they can take over theprotection of their own oil infrastructureand police their own territorial waters,the contribution of the Royal Navy isvery relevant and is having a significantimpact.

It was in the middle of August then thatLancaster sailed out of a sunnyPortsmouth with over 500 families andfriends watching and waving from thecity’s waterfront as the affiliatedLancaster bomber of the Royal AirForce Battle of Britain flight thunderedoverhead. A speedy transit across theMediterranean and through Suez, withonly the briefest fuelling stops inGibraltar and Crete, saw the ship arriveEast of Suez as planned. With themajority of the deployment spent atsea on patrol there will be someopportunities to show the flag andconduct defence diplomacy activitiesin several of the Gulf States beforeLancaster returns to the UK in thespring

We very much look forward to meetingup with the Worshipful Company ofFeltmakers in 2009 to report on thefurther adventures of HMS Lancaster..

We thank you for your continuedsupport and good wishes.

S. J. McGlory HMS Lancaster

On patrol off the Iraqi Al Basra oil platform

The HMS Lancaster leaving Portsmouth with a Lancaster bomber overhead shortly after Feltmakers’ visit

F r om th e Ba l t i c t o A l Ba s ra wi th

HMS Lanca s t e r

In June over 260 diners sat down atthe 2008 Feltmakers’ Banquet in theMansion House, the second

highest number of the decade, andthey were treated to a memorableevening under the convivial hosting ofthe Master Geoffrey Vero. From themoment when the Honourable ArtilleryCompany Brass Quintet musiciansstruck up with Handel’s Water Music asthe guests were received in line, anatmosphere of relaxed bonhomie wasestablished and it continued pervadingthe whole evening.

The winning entries in the AnnualFeltmakers’ Design Award alwaysfeature at this occasion, and the trendy‘Fascinator’ designs grabbed the topplaces in 2008, not only on the displaytable but on the heads of both thedelectable star model Jasmine andindeed, many of the lady guestspresent.

Moreover not only were the hatsinnovative. The menu struck both thenovel and contemporary, with whiteonion ice cream accompanying thesucculent main course of fillet of beef,complimented by a raspberrysmoothie dessert.Both wit and wisdom found their placein the after-dinner speeches. In hisresponse to Nick Heal’s proposal of

the Lord Mayor and Sheriffs’ health, SirMichael Oliver introduced a timely andwarmly received tribute to ourservicemen in the Gulf andAfghanistan, coupling this with hiscommendation of the three C’s asthemes for all Livery Companies:‘Commerce, Comradeship andCharity’. The Master responded with agolfing allusion with his three S’s, not aStandard Scratch Score, but ‘ServiceScholarship and Sport’, also payingtribute to the role of the Services intoday’s world. This in turn was re-echoed in Principal Guest, Sir StephenWright’s peroration, which humorouslyrounded off the evening, encircling ashe did both City and the DiplomaticWorld. A vintage night for us all.Rowland Brown

Th e Fe l tmake r s ’ Banque t

Very kindly, the Livery decided togive me a present to mark my70th birthday. I was asked

what I would like. Without a moment'shesitation I replied - 'A hat!'

Accordingly, at the Court Dinner lastJuly, Geoffrey Vero presented me witha hat. It is the most beautiful hat Ihave ever owned. It came from Lockand Company of St James’ Street. It

is a trilby. Why?When we were young, and in the Army,we wore trilby hats. When theColonel walked past and we were incivilian clothes we had to salute. Itwas called 'salute as is improperlydressed' - a rather absurd drill. Hat off,place hat on chest, turn head indirection of said Colonel for five paces,head to the front and don hat. For thisand other movements, we treated the

hat to a bath until it was capable ofbeing moulded into many shapes.Elastic bands were used to hold a newshape into place. Not surprisingly,the hats became a bit tatty, and manyof us looked like German Generals -which was the idea.

Ever since I have wanted a trilby for'best'. Fifty years later I have one andI love it. Thank you!

Col in Semper ’ s Ha t

Master Geoffrey Vero and his wife, Frankie, with the four Wardens and their spouses.

On a surprisingly wintry nightwhen London saw the firstsnow in October for over

seventy years, over forty Feltmakersconverged on the Cavalry and GuardsClub in Piccadilly for the third CommonHall to be held in the Company’shistory, under the enthusiasticchairmanship of the Master, who waswell supported by two keynotespeakers.

Master Nick Heal got the evening’sbusiness briskly off the mark with anoutline of what is promised for themembership by the cascading systemof communication. The Master outlinedthe pyramid structure of the initiative,filtering down through the Wardens,the Assistants, to groups of fourmainstream members, to makekeeping in touch a practical reality, notjust a paper exercise.

The Master then moved the businesson to the Company’s charitable activity,and Charitable Foundation ChairmanPeter Grant took the floor. Past MasterPeter stressed that he was not going torepeat his message set out in the majorarticle on this topic in this issue of theFeltmaker Magazine. He set thecontext of the Foundation’s currentposition, having seen the Company’scharitable activity develop from analmost nominal figure 40 years ago tothe 2008/2009 picture of distributingover £30,000 per annum. However thishas to be set against the £40m.

combined total of all the LiveryCompanies, and looks particularlymodest when compared with, say, theClothworkers who weigh in with £4m.or (put another way) our figure is onetenth of one percent of the Liveries’total. However, our resources aregrowing, thanks to the support of halfthe Company donating the requestedbench mark figure of £100 per annum.More joining in and more testamentarybenefactions would be welcome.

Feltmaking – the real thing – then fellunder the spotlight thanks to afascinating ‘short talk’ by LiverymanTed Andrew. Ted should be nurtured bythe Company as being the exemplar ofthat rare species – a genuineFeltmaker, who heads up AndrewIndustries Ltd. a major world-rankingenterprise with an annual turnover of165m euros and 2000 employeesworldwide, producing 25m squaremetres of felt per annum. Ted’sgrandfather founded the business in1894, and it has remained a familybusiness with its main works inAccrington in UK and with extensiveoverseas bases in US, Canada, andChina. In his talk entitled TheDevelopment of Modern Felt and ItsUses Ted briefly described howfeltmaking by his company progressedfrom wool based felt to thecontemporary engineered textileneedle felt based on polyester fibre.Ted brought with him fascinatingsamples of the 21st. century products

based on the modern application ofthis high tech felt. This includedexamples from filtration, theautomotive industries, space shuttles,laundries, medical items, you name it,they make it, and pointing out thatballistic felts, (kevlar) worn by policeand armed services personnel, digitalprinters, paper making, sports shoes(eg Nike) are just some of the immenserange of products using this highlyversatile felt. Those of us who recalledthe pictures of the basic, crudeprocedures for making felt contained inthe Livery Company’s official ‘Historyof the Worshipful Company ofFeltmakers’ marvelled at and admiredthe sophistication of these products,and inwardly congratulated Ted and hisfirm on keeping their place at the verycutting edge of new technologies infeltmaking.

As the title of these events - ‘CommonHall’ - implies, no Feltmaker LiveryCompany meeting of this ilk would becomplete without a meal to boot, andthe Cavalry and Guards Club rosesplendidly to the occasion, seating usall round one huge oval table andfortifying us for the wintry journeyhome with seasonal, delectablevenison and a smooth claret to match.Rowland Brown

Common Ha l l 2008

The Master

Peter Grant

Ted Andrews showinga felt filter

It was in 1963 that the then Master,Sir Hugh Wontner proposed that theCompany should supply every

incoming Lord Mayor with his tricornehat.

The makers of this splendid hat are afirm called ‘Patey Hats’ who describe

themselves as‘Purveyors andManufacturers ofFine Crafted HeadWear’. They havea heritage of over200 years and avisit to theirpremises in SouthEast London

reveals that their craftsmen adopt thesame hand-crafted methods of hat-making as they did in 1799, offering atruly bespoke service that is rare to findthese days.

The order for the Lord Mayor’s hat isreceived in July and the incoming LordMayor is invited to attend his first fitting

as soon as it is possible. Thisprocedure involves taking an accuratemeasurement of his head using a‘conformature’, a wonderful 18thcentury invention resembling amediaeval instrument of torture. Atemplate results and another

contraption called a ‘formillion’ isadjusted to the exact size and shape ofthe Lord Mayor’s head, using thistemplate.The foundation of the hat is made fromlengths of calico cloth, which are

stretched onto wooden frames andcoated with a shellac paste called‘coodle.’ After curing, this cloth nowcalled ‘goss’, is cut into strips andironed onto the crown block and brimshape. A skilled job taking 8 hoursallowing 2 layers of goss to ensure astrong foundation. Irons are heated up

on naked flames , the goss stripsbecome flexible under the intense heatenabling them to be moulded andsmoothed around the hat blocks. Aftera week’s drying the foundations arecoated with varnish and driedovernight. Velvet is laid and cut out tothe pattern on the cutting machineusing cutting blades shaped for theLord Mayor’s hat. Until a few yearsago, this was done by hand . Thevelvet pattern pieces are machine

stitched together, pulled over thecrown and brim foundations, the velvetadhering to the foundation as thevarnish is still tacky. Finally the hat istrimmed with fine black ostrich feathersand given a sumptuous satin lining.

The completed hat is delivered to theKeeper of the Robes at Guildhall. Hehas the important task of teaching theincoming Lord Mayor how to ‘takecharge’ and ‘be at one’ with his hat forthe Lord Mayor’s Show, which takesplace in early November. The hatweighs about 5lbs, so it takes somepractice to adopt a natural poise whendonning and doffing, and for theimportant mayoral ‘waive’. The hat hasto be of robust construction to see itthrough its very active year in office.

Even though the Lord Mayor wears hisnew hat at the Lord Mayor’s Show, it isnot until shortly after the SilentCeremony that the hat is formallypresented to the newly appointed LordMayor at the Mansion House by theMaster and Wardens.Sir Hugh Wontner was appointed LordMayor in 1973 (and Master for thesecond time), and on his death left alegacy to ensure the Feltmakerssupplied the Lord Mayor’s hat forposterity. Jane Way

Th e Lord Mayor ’ s Ha t

The conformature

The card transferred to centre of the formillion

Different shaped cutting blades

The biographies of new Liverymen, previously published in ‘The Feltmaker’, now appear on the Company web site.However, we are pleased to announce the following admissions to the Livery since the last edition:Court Meeting: January 2008 Court Meeting: April 2008 Court Meeting: October 2008Mr. Peter Winfield Mr. William Clegg QC Mr. Matthew Finnegan

Mr. Richard Elms JP Mr. Keith PledgerMr. Julian VeroMrs. Gilly Yarrow

New Liv e rymen o f th e Fe l tmake r s