800 years of securing the Lord Mayor’s Show

The Lord Mayor’s Show is a yearly event in the City of London, a three-mile procession watched by millions on television and bringing many thousands of visitors on the day. We spoke to Pageantmaster, Dominic Reid OBE about the challenges of keeping this iconic event secure.

An ancient and unique event

The Show began in the early thirteenth century when King John demanded that each newly elected Mayor travel to Westminster to ‘show’ himself and swear loyalty to the crown. This tradition has continued since then. Dominic explained: “The Lord Mayor is escorted from Mansion House, his formal residence in the City, to the Royal Courts of Justice in the Strand where the Oath has been sworn since 1883.” The Lord Mayor is accompanied by a lively, diverse, joyous procession. Dominic adds: “An unbroken tradition of 800 years is an extraordinary thing. The Lord Mayor’s Show is the only event of its kind in the world that has taken place annually over eight centuries. The Show occupies a unique place in the culture of London and the nation.”

Facts and Figures

The procession varies each year, but an average of 7,000 people take part – including around 2,000 military personnel and 2,000 under-eighteens, several hundred vehicles and horses.

There are participating organisations from all over the UK and world joining the Lord Mayor, with floats representing City charities, schools, community groups, musicians, performers, financial institutions, military bands, and Livery companies.

Historic risks and threats

The Lord Mayor’s Show has endured through the plague, the Great Fire of London, and Gordon Riots just before the 1832 Show. In 1915, it was used as a military recruiting exercise, with people encouraged to follow the Lord Mayor’s coach to sign up. Unfortunately, they were put off by extreme weather.

In World War II, the procession was just a brisk military parade without the coach, but even so, the Lord Mayor succeeded in travelling to Westminster at the height of the Blitz to pledge his loyalty to the Crown.

The bombing of the City of London was the backdrop to the Shows in 1992 and 1993, with a continuing threat from the IRA and PIRA through the rest of the1990s. This backdrop continued into the new millennium with terrorist threats and attacks in the City, including the London bombings in 2005.

Occupy London anti-capitalist protestors were camped outside St Paul’s Cathedral in 2011.

Dominic says: “There was coverage in the press that the Show was a legitimate target for public protest and there was real concern about what might happen. But we spent some time talking and mediating with the protestors and I even spoke at one of their afternoon parliament meetings. In the end, they caused no real disturbance and it’s thought they enjoyed the ringside seat for the spectacle.”

Also, by coincidence, BBC 2 chose that date – 12 November 2011 – for the filming of ‘Britain in a Day’, a documentary bringing together the story of the British people, across the length and breadth of Britain through their own words and footage. This provides an interesting record and includes snippets of both the protestors and the procession.

In 2021, Extinction Rebellion (XR) infiltrated the procession under the company name, the London Physical Society. This turned out to be a fake organisation that purported to promote the use of sustainable building materials. The true identity was revealed at Bank Junction. A number of arrests were made and the City of London Police engaged with the group to minimise disruption.

In 2020, the Covid pandemic lockdown meant the Show did not go ahead – the first time since 1852, when the Show gave way to Wellington’s funeral.

Changing attitudes to security and public order

During its long history, the Lord Mayors and the Show have had significant involvement with security, protest and disorder. Dominic provided a couple of examples: “Sir William Walworth, Mayor in 1385, attacked and then ordered the beheading of Wat Tyler, the leader of the Peasants’ Revolt – which led to its collapse.” A further favourite anecdote from Dominic is from 100 years later in 1483, when the show was held on the Thames: “The barges of the Skinners’ and Merchant Taylors’ Livery Companies clashed when trying to overtake each other and one man died. They were ordered to dine together between 6pm and 7pm the day before the Show to sort out their differences – the origin of the saying ‘at sixes and sevens’”.

A critical aspect of the show is the safety of those taking part and watching. Dominic acknowledges this has moved on since the early days of the Show “when Whifflers – whose specific processional role was to keep the crowd back– threw fire crackers into crowd – something that wouldn’t be allowed today, of course!”

It’s no wonder people were keen to have a close view of the event. Many of them were living drab lives, without the social media, internet and other diversions of today. Dominic says: “There were animals, costumes, music – amazing sights that people rarely saw.”

Today’s security concerns

Perhaps the biggest change in the Pageantmaster’s role in recent years comes from the security requirements of a modern event. The huge number of people, vehicles and animals in a procession with a fixed route through London on a fixed date requires considerable security planning. Dominic says: “The Lord Mayor’s Coach is significant and valuable, a symbol of power and the City and an obvious target.” He adds: “It’s a fractured world with lots of small, disparate groups, many who just want to exploit the coverage: it’s a live event with worldwide attention.”

The key is exceptional planning and partnership working with the aim to have low- profile policing and security. The policemen and women visible on the day are the friendly tip of a huge security operation that keeps both the procession and the spectators safe. Dominic highlights one example of the major security operation: “Every single one of the 3,500 manholes and 197 vacant properties on the route will have been searched and sealed before the day.”

Dominic continues: “We work closely with the City of London Police and emergency services to ensure our security procedures are up to date. You will see a strong police presence throughout the City and especially along the processional route (as well as in the procession!).”

He adds: “We also engage with the City of London Police on Project Servator. and continuously focus on delivering a safe and secure environment. CCTV operates throughout the City of London to assist in the prevention and detection of crime, to aid public safety, and assist with management of the public highway. The City of London Police will carry out highly visible and undercover patrols before, during, and after the event.”

Dominic concludes: “I think what the Show provides, most importantly, is a platform for good citizenship.  You could interview anyone of the seven thousand people taking part, from the Lord Mayor to the smallest child or one of the returned servicemen from a war overseas, and would get a fantastic interview with them. You would learn something and hear a great story. Every single person in the procession has a really interesting story to tell. It is my job is to create platform that allows them to manifest all of that in a safe and secure way. It is a great privilege.”

To learn more read: Lord Mayor’s Show: 800 Years 1215-2015, edited by Hannah Bowen and Dominic Reid OBE.

This year’s Lord Mayor’s Show is on 9 November 2024.

Andrea Berkoff