Book description
The City of London has perhaps the strongest tradition of Livery Companies in the world. More than eighty companies, some six centuries old, maintains strong, colourful, beneficial and independent lives and approximately half of them have beautiful halls in the square mile itself. This book traces the history of the Guilds and Liveries, shows their influence on the government of the square mile, on which Westminster is modelled, on the respective trades, on royalty itself, and on the history of Britain and lands overseas. After comparing the Livery traditions of other cities in Britain and Europe the author describes briefly each of the Livery Guilds and their halls. The book is illustrated with photographs of historic prints in the author’s collection, and of halls, regalia and liveries.
