19 November 2008
Lord Mayor Luder greets first visitors on Mansion House
tours
The newly-elected Lord Mayor of the City of London, Ian Luder,
will meet and welcome visitors on the first regular weekly tour of
Mansion House next week (Tuesday 2 December).
Mansion House, which is one of the grandest surviving Georgian
town palaces in London, is the purpose-built home of the Lord Mayor
of the City of London and provides living and working space for the
Lord Mayor and his household, as well as elaborately decorated
rooms for large ceremonial events and banquets. Art lovers, in
particular, will appreciate the Harold Samuel collection, which
comprises eighty-four, 17th-century Dutch and Flemish paintings by
masters, including Frans Hals, Nicolaes Maes and Jacob van
Ruisdael.
The tour will also visit the Plate Room, a breathtaking
collection of gold and silver plate ware, including the Lord
Mayor's sword and mace, the fire cup and the pearl sword which,
according to legend, was used by Elizabeth I at the opening of
Royal Exchange in 1571.
Pre-booking is no longer required for the one-hour tours of
Mansion House, which will be held every Tuesday at 2pm (from 2
December) and led by a trained City of London guide, who will
explain the history of the House, the function of various rooms and
how the House is used by the Lord Mayor for his work today. Members
of the public are asked to gather at Walbrook (exit 8 at Bank tube
station) by the A-board near the porch entrance to Mansion House
and pay the guide in cash. Tickets cost £6 per person (£4
concessions).
Ian Luder, Lord Mayor of the City of London, says: “I hope
visitors will enjoy their tours of Mansion House, which is a
beautiful building in the heart of the ‘Square Mile’. It is a great
privilege to live and work here with my wife, Lin, and I am sure
that the guides will provide people with a wonderful insight into
the building’s history. I look forward to meeting visitors on the
first tour and asking them which features have left an impression
on them.”
Ends
For more information:
Andrew Buckingham, Press Officer, City of London Corporation,
telephone 020 7332 1452, 07795 333 060, email
andrew.buckingham@cityoflondon.gov.uk
Charlie de Wet, City Guides PR Manager, telephone 020 7247 0367,
email
charlie.spitalfields@talktalk.net
John Gibson, City Guides Branding and Publicity, telephone 020
8441 7116, 07711 632170, email
wychwood25@btopenworld.com
Find out more about the building and the tours by visiting the
Mansion House web pages.
Notes for Editors:
The weekly tours will be led by the City of London Guides and take
place every Tuesday at 2pm from 2 December 2008, except in August
2009, when the House is closed for refurbishment. The tours are
held on a ‘first come, first served’ basis, limited to 40 guests
and last one hour. Access to some parts of the House, including the
Plate Room, may be subject to availability, depending on the Lord
Mayor’s work (such as business meetings and State
events).