St. Bartholomew the Great

The Carol Service is one of the great occasions in our calendar. Held in 2009 in the spectacular Wren church of St. Stephen Wallbrook, this year Liverymen, their families and guests returned to the medieval Priory Church of St. Bartholomew the Great in West Smithfield on Wednesday 15 December. Despite appalling weather conditions, a very good turnout was achieved. For many Liverymen, the Carol Service marks the beginning of their Christmas festivities. It is an event which the Master and our Chaplain plan for in great detail, both in the selection of the carols and of the readers, and this year was no exception. In this particular church, the combination of a haunting darkness punctuated by candles and the wonderful resonance of the choir provides for a particularly memorable occasion. Interspersed between the carols were the Bidding and Lord’s Prayer by our Chaplain the Very Reverend Colin Semper and Lessons read by the Clerk, Liverymen Richard Farmer and Jane Way, Assistant Simon Millar, and by Past Master John Curteis. After the mystery of the Incarnation read by the Master, John Ray, the church’s Rector, the Reverend Dr Martin Dudley, sent us on our way with his Blessing, and so we repaired the short distance to Haberdashers’ Hall for dinner.

Enjoying the conviviality of Haberdasher's Hall after the service