The Woodmongers Banquet will be held on Tuesday 22 April 2025 at Mansion House. This is a joint evently with the Worshipful Company of Carmen and celebrates our shared - and mostly friendly - history with our origins in the Worshipful Company of Woodmongers in the sixteenth century.

Mansion House has been used as the officlal residence of the Lord Mayor since Sir Crisp Gascoyne's mayoralty in 1752/53.  Imposingly Palladian in style the Salon, where the reception will be held, was formerly a roofless courtyard, and since being covered now has a dramatic row of chandeliers .  The banquet will be served in the Egyptian Room, which is based on designs by the classical Roman architect Vitruvius of Roman buildings in Egypt.

Our Prinicpal Guest is Sir John Parker GBE FREng, who has served as CEO, Chairman or Non-Executive Director in over 20 major UK and overseas companies. He is an Honorary Freeman of the Fuellers.

Sir John was born into a farming family in Co. Down (N.I) and studied Naval Architecture and Mechanical Engineering at the Belfast College of Technology and Queens University Belfast.

He is currently Chairman of Laing O’Rourke Group and was until recently a Non-Executive Director of Carnival Corporation. He Chaired the Review of Government on “Ethnic Diversity in the Board Room” and recently completed “A Review of UK Naval Shipbuilding Strategy” for MOD. He has now stepped down from Chairing the Advisory Board of Spencer Stuart and also as Chairman of the Pennon Group – his 6th FTSE 100 Board to Chair.  In more recent times, he was Chairman of Anglo American, Non-Executive Director of Airbus Group, Deputy Chairman of DP World-Dubai (Global Container Port Operator) and Chairman of National Grid.  He Chaired the Court of the Bank of England and was President of the Royal Academy of Engineering.

Other companies he has served as CEO, Chairman or Non-Executive Director include Harland & Wolff; Austin & Pickersgill; British Shipbuilders Corporation; Babcock International Group; British Coal Corporation; BG Group; Lattice Group; Firth Rixon; GKN; Fred Olsen; Brambles; P&O Princess Cruises; RMC Group; P&O Group; Mondi and BVT.

His extensive voluntary work has included 10 years of Leading Young Offenders into Work, the RNLI Council, the White Ensign Association, a Member of the Prime Ministers Committee of Science & Technology (CST), a Member of the Davies Committee – Women on Boards, a Member of The Defence Academy Advisory Board, President of The Royal Institution of Naval Architects, Chancellor of University of Southampton, Senior Non Executive Director, Cabinet Office, President of The Smeatonian Society of Civil Engineers, Vice Presdient of The Royal Naval and Marines Charity, Prime Warden of The Worshipful Company of Shipwrights, Member of the Prime Ministers Business Council, an Elder Brother of Trinity House and a Visiting Fellow Univeristy of Oxford.
He was Knighted in 2001 (Knight Batchelor) for Services to the Defence and Shipbuilding Industries and was appointed GBE in 2012 for Services to Industry and the Voluntary Sector. His Autobiography “The View from the Bridge – an Industrial Journey” was published in 2018.

Also speaking will be the Lord Mayor, The Rt Hon Alderman Alastair King KStJ DL who was installed as the 696th Lord Mayor of London in November. He will be updating us with the progress of his mayoralty.

Following his early career as a City of London lawyer, Alastair has had an entrepreneurial career in financial services. After a period working in early-stage Venture Capital, he started a successful Buy-Out vehicle with a colleague and then founded his own asset management house, specialising in global fixed income. Alastair serves on the board of five City of London-based financial services companies, four of which he chairs (he is the founder of two of them).

In his civic career Alastair has served as an elected representative for the Ward of Queenhithe continuously since 1999. He was appointed Deputy in 2006, elected as Alderman in 2016 and elected as Sheriff of London (2022-23). Alastair also has substantial involvement in the Livery movement, as well as serving as Chair of the British Liver Trust – the national liver charity - and supporting other charitable interests. Of proud Scottish heritage, Alastair was educated at Oundle and at the Universities of Bristol and Kent, the College of Law in London and the London Business School. His interests include boxing and hill walking in Scotland with his wife and their Italian Greyhound.

We are delighted again to be at Mansion House, the official residence of the Lord Mayor of London. It is a Grade I listed building designed by George Dance the Elder in the Palladian style and was built between 1739 and 1752.

The site, at the east end of Poultry, London, had previously been occupied by the Stocks Market, and the construction was prompted by a wish to put an end to the inconvenient practice of lodging the Lord Mayor in one of the livery halls.  The Mansion House is now used for some of the City of London's most formal official functions, including the Easter banquet where the main speaker is the Foreign Secretary, who then receives a reply from the Dean of the Diplomatic Corps, i.e. the longest-serving ambassador, and in early June the Chancellor of the Exchequer to gives her 'Mansion House Speech' about the state of the British economy.

We will be savouring the fares of their new caterers, Social Pantry, and enjoying Rathfinny Classic Cuvee Brut 2019 at the reception. During the banquet the Royal Marines Association Ensemble will be playing.

LOCATION
Mansion House, Walbrook, City of London, London EC4N 8BH
view on map

DRESS
White Tie with decorations and livery badges for Gentlemen and long evening dresses for Ladies.
Although White Tie is encouraged for all, the Master is keen that no-one should be discouraged from attending solely for want of such attire and that Black Tie (dinner jacket) will be acceptable for Gentlemen. Tiaras are most welcome for ladies.

TIMINGS
1815 - Reception
1845 - Dinner
2230 - Carriages

BOOK NOW
Tickets cost £160 and you can book places for yourself and your guests below.
We are grateful for generous donations to enable the ticket price to be kept at this level.

CEREMONIAL COURT
There will be a Ceremonial Court immediately before the Reception to admit new members to the Freedom and enrobe new members of the Livery.  This will follow Installation Court and start promptly at 1745.  All members and their guests wishing to support our new Freemen and Liverymen are welcome to attend.
If you are expecting to be admited as a Freeman or enrobed as a Liveryman please contact the Clerk to ensure that you are included.

SECURITY
Please note that Mansion House has airport style security.  You should bring photographic ID.