The second Friday in November is an important day in the City of London calendar.  This is the day that the new Lord Mayor takes office at the Silent Ceremony at Guildhall.  On 11th November 2022, Nicholas Lyons, a good friend to the Lightmongers, became 694th Lord Mayor taking over from Vincent Keaveny at the short ceremony that demonstrates City pomp and tradition at is best.  As the name suggests, the Silent Ceremony takes place without a single word being spoken.

This strictly choreographed Ceremony is followed by the more relaxed and intimate Presentation of Addresses that normally takes place in the library of Guildhall.  The new Lord Mayor and the two recently elected Sheriffs invite a small number of Companies and organisations with which they have a close relationship to join them for a short presentation of meaningful gifts.

For the first time in many years, the Lightmongers were invited to be part of the ceremony and the delegation comprising the four officers of the company as well as the chairs of the committees and the Clerk donned their morning suits and robes to be one of eight guests of the new Lord Mayor alongside the Merchant Taylors, The City Livery Club, the Royal Society of St George, The Worshipful Companies of Educators, Bakers and Insurers and the Guild of Freemen.

The Presentation Party comprising
Back Row from Left: Past Master Eddie Taylor, Immediate Past Master Fr Peter Harris, Past Master Rodney Bennion, OBE, Hon Treasurer Roger Rawson, Past Master Mike Simpson, Court Liveryman Stuart Mucklejohn,
Front Row from left: Junior Warden Tony Ginman, Senior Warden Peter McVeigh, Master Jamie Berry, Deputy Master Margaret Fitzsimons, Past Master Stephen Thomas. (The Clerk, Mark Houghton, is missing from the photo as he is the photographer.)

Lightmongers were keen to demonstrate the latest in lighting technology including the industry’s commitment to recycling and the circular economy and the enormous strides being made in lighting efficiency.

Lightmongers presented the gift of a ‘Lifetime of Light’ comprising two table lights that had been created using 3D printing technology from recycled CD-roms.  Each table light contains about 24 CDs.  The lamps have just been released onto the UK market and are the most energy efficient types available, generating 240 lumens per watt.  (In layman’s terms a 40 watt bulb equivalent only uses 2.4 watts of energy – quite a technology advance.)  The lamps have a lifetime of 50,000 hours so should last about 50 years in a normal domestic usage situation.

Thank you to Past Master Mike Simpson of Signify (formerly Philips Lighting) for generously contributing the two table lights and the lamps that were presented by the delegation led by the new Master, Jamie Berry.