Knollys Rose

On Thursday Kirstie and I went to the Ceremony of the Knollys Rose, followed by lunch at Watermen's Hall. This is a City of London tradition which basically goes back to 1381. In that year a fine of one red rose a year, payable to the Lord Mayor of London, was imposed on a Sir Robert Knollys. Since 1960 the ceremony has been arranged by the Company of Watermen and Lightermen, and Dad, as the current Master of the Watermen's Company, had the job of cutting the rose and presenting it to the Lord Mayor. The photo shows the procession from the Knollys garden to the Mansion House.