Pageants and Ceremonies of London

Pageants and Ceremonies of London

Many towns and cities have their own traditional ceremonies, which they still like to keep alive by performing them regularly.

London has many of the most glorious traditions, many steeped in history and still performed today. People from Britain and around the world gather, often in vast numbers, to witness some of these interesting and exciting spectacles.

Changing of the Guard

Trooping the Colour

Firing a Royal Salute

The Ceremony of the Keys

Swan Upping

Opening of the Courts

The Lord Mayors Show

Changing of the Guard

One of London's most interesting and colourful ceremonies, the Changing of the Guard, takes place at two locations:

At Buckingham Palace the guard is formed from one of the foot regiments. A band leads the new guard from Wellington or Chelsea barracks, to the forecourt of the palace, and after the ceremony it leads the old guard back to barracks. There are five regiments of foot guards; all wear scarlet tunics and black bearskins. To identify the regiments look for the different coloured plumes in their bearskins and see if you can spot the different arrangement of buttons on their tunics:

The Grenadier Guards have white plumes and evenly spaced buttons; the Coldstream Guards, red plumes and buttons in pairs; the Scots Guards, no plumes and buttons in threes; the Irish Guards, blue plumes and buttons in fours; the Welsh Guards, white-and-green plumes and buttons in fives.

Mounting the Guard - the cavalry term for changing the guard, also takes place at Horse Guards on Whitehall. Making an impressive and colourful sight, twelve troops mounted on impeccably groomed horses, make their way from Hyde Park barracks, via Hyde Park Corner, Constitution Hill and The Mall; arriving at Horse Guards to carry out sentry duty. When the Queen is resident in London, an officer, a corporal of horse, sixteen troupers and a trumpeter on a grey horse take part in the ceremony.

The guards mounted on their beautiful horses, are stationed, immobile, in the arches on either side of the clock tower. There are also two dismounted guards, positioned on the other side of the arch leading to Horse Guards Parade. The mounted guards are changed hourly, but those on foot have to stand for two hours on sentry duty.

The guard is formed from the two regiments that comprise the Household Cavalry, they are the LifeGuards, originally the bodyguard to Charles I, and the Blues and Royals, formed from a regiment serving Oliver Cromwell.

Today they are the Queen's bodyguard on all state occasions. Their uniforms are easier to identify; the LifeGuards wear white plumes on their helmets and red tunics; the Blues and Royals wear red plumes and blue uniforms. George IV instigated the use of armour to the waist, known as cuirasses.

All seven form the Household Regiments of which the Queen is colonel-in-chief. In addition to their ceremonial duties, these regiments are still part of the regular British army.

Changing of the Guard is one of the oldest and most familiar ceremonies associated with Buckingham Palace.

The proper name of the ceremony known as 'Changing the Guard' is actually Guard Mounting. In this process a New Guard exchanges duty with the Old Guard and both Guards are drawn from one of the regiments of Foot Guards.

The handover is accompanied by a Guards band. The music played ranges from traditional military marches to songs from musical shows and even familiar pop songs.

When The Queen is in residence, there are four sentries at the front of the building; when she is away there are two.

The Queen's Guard usually consists of Foot Guards in full-dress uniform of red tunics and bearskins; if they have operational commitments, other infantry units such as the Brigade of Gurkhas take part instead.

Watching the ceremony:

Buckingham Palace - Guard Mounting takes place in the forecourt of Buckingham Palace at 11.30 am, and lasts about 45 minutes. There is no Guard Mounting in very wet weather. During the autumn and winter, Guard Mounting takes place on alternate days, but it is held daily during spring and summer. Buckingham Palace is immediately adjacent to St James's Park and The Green Park.

Horse Guards Arch - the Changing of the Guard takes place daily at 11am (10am on Sundays) and lasts about 30 minutes. It is held on Horse Guards Parade by Whitehall, which is located east of St James's Park.

Dates:

Daily in summer months, alternate dates for the remainder of the year

Locations:

Buckingham Palace is located immediately adjacent to St James's Park and The Green Park.

Horse Guards Arch is at the Trafalgar Square end of St James's Park.

Trooping the Colour

The Pageant of Trooping the Colour marks the official birthday of Her Majesty the Queen, and takes place at Horse Guards Parade on the Saturday nearest June 6th.

This is a very impressive ceremony and large crowds gather to view the spectacle. The guards line up to greet The Queen, who is their colonel-in-chief.

Massed bands perform stirring military music while the ceremony is performed, with spectacular displays of marching. The colour, (flag) of one of the foot regiments, is trooped (displayed) to The Queen for her inspection.

Firing a Royal Salute

Once a year, to mark the Queen's official birthday 'Trooping the Colour' is held on Horse Guards Parade in St James's Park. This colourful military parade by the Household Division is from two older military ceremonies - 'Trooping the Colour' and 'Mounting the Queen's Guard', both of which began during the early eighteenth century.

The Queen personally carries out an inspection of the troops. The 'Colour' battalion flag that is 'Trooped' - or carried - slowly down the ranks of soldiers. This was traditionally done so each man was familiar with his battalion's flag, used as a rallying point during battle.

As the troops of the Household Division have the honour of guarding the monarch, the link has been particularly close. However it has only been since King Edward VII's reign that the sovereign has regularly taken the salute during the ceremony in person.

At the conclusion of the main ceremony the Queen leads the troops down the Mall to Buckingham Palace. She then makes the salute at the Palace.At the end of the ceremony The Queen appears at the balcony of Buckingham Palace.

The Queen first appeared at the parade when she was Princess Elizabeth, as Colonel of the Grenadier Guards in 1947. This was the first ceremony to be held after the Second World War.

Watching the ceremony:

The deadline for applications to watch the ceremony on Horse Guards Parade has now passed, however the ceremony may be seen from Horse Guards Parade, Whitehall and the calvary division's march to Buckingham Palace may be seen from a flag-lined The Mall.

The ceremony is also shown live on terrestrial British television.

The Ceremony of the Keys

The Tower of London is guarded by Yeoman warders, or Beefeaters as they are often referred to. They wear the well-known Tudor scarlet and gold uniforms, with white ruffs at the neck, and black hats.

It is the responsibility of the chief warder, each night, to lock the great gates of the Tower. At 10 p.m. dressed in a long red coat and black hat, together with his escort, he makes his way to the gates.

As they approach the Bloody Tower, a sentry challenges them, the sentry cries out "Halt! Who goes there?" The chief warder replies "The Keys" the sentry then asks "Whose Keys?"

Lifting his hat in the air in respect of the monarch, the chief warder answers "Queen Elizabeth's Keys. God preserve Queen Elizabeth" The sentry then replies "Amen".

Ceremony of the Keys

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Ceremonies known as the Ceremony of the Keys are held in at least two locations in the United Kingdom: London, and Edinburgh, as well as Gibraltar.

London

Probably the best known such ceremony is the one that takes place every night at the Tower of London, and has done so in some form or another since the 14th century. Just before 10pm, the Chief Yeoman Warder, dressed in Tudor Watchcoat, meets the Military Escort, made up of members of the Tower of London Guard. Together, the CYW and the Yeoman Warder 'Watchman' secure the main gates of the Tower. Upon their return down Water Lane, the party is halted by the sentry and challenged to identify themselves:

Sentry: Who comes there?

Chief Warder: The keys.

S: Whose keys?

CW: Queen Elizabeth's keys. (identifying the keys as being those of the British monarch as of 2008)

S: Pass Queen Elizabeth's Keys. All's well.

Following this, the party makes its way through the Bloody Tower Archway into the fortress, where they halt at the bottom of the Broadwalk Steps. On the top of the Stairs, under the command of their Officer, the Tower guard present arms and the Chief Warder raises his hat, proclaiming:

CW: God preserve Queen Elizabeth.

S: Amen!

He then takes the keys to the Queen's House for safekeeping, while the Last Post is sounded.

As with many events of ceremony in the United Kingdom, it takes some significant outside influence to interrupt the Ceremony of the Keys. The one time when the ceremony was interrupted was during the Second World War, when there was an air raid on London, and a number of incendiary bombs fell on the old Victorian guardroom just as the Chief Yeoman Warder and the escort were coming through the Bloody Tower archway. The shock and the noise of the bombs falling blew over the escort and the Chief Yeoman Warder, but they stood up, dusted themselves down, and carried on. The Tower holds a letter from the Officer of the Guard apologising to King George VI that the ceremony was late, along a reply from the King which says that the Officer is not to be punished as the delay was due to enemy action.

In Popular Culture

The tower ceremonies mentioned above were partially parodied in the opening sequence of the 'The Cracksman in which Charlie Drake's title character is called into resolved a jammed lock occurring during the ceremony.

The Ceremony of the Keys is mentioned in Tom Clancy's Patriot Games. In the novel the protagonist, Jack Ryan, is shown the ceremony by the Yeoman Warders after having saved the Prince and Princess of Wales from a terrorist attack. In the book the ceremony is represented as not being open to the public and therefore somewhat of a privilege to see; also, the term "Queen Anne's Keys" is used rather than "Queen Elizabeth's Keys." In reality it is possible for the public to view the ceremony, though the numbers are limited and free tickets must be obtained well in advance of the viewing date.

Visiting the Tower of London's Ceremony of the Keys

This nightly event is open for visitors by ticket admission only. There is no cost for the tickets, however, the tickets must be applied for in advance. The tower is closed for general admission and then locked at each entrance. After this the group of people holding tickets are invited in. No photography is allowed. The beefeaters perform their nightly ritual and pass along the keys. The ceremony is completely silent except for the dialogue between guards. This is a unique insight into an exciting tradition.

Edinburgh

There is also a Ceremony of the Keys held in Holyrood Palace, at the start of the British monarch's week-long residence there in July. Soon after the monarch's arrival, in the forecourt of the Palace, the Queen or King is symbolically offered the keys to the city of Edinburgh by the Lord Provost. The monarch returns the keys, saying:

I return these keys, being perfectly convinced that they cannot be placed in better hands than those of the Lord Provost and Councillors of my good City of Edinburgh.

Gibraltar

See also: The Convent (Gibraltar)

The Governor's residence (Gibraltar)

The Ceremony of the Keys event is a re-enactment of the locking of the gates to the old Town and garrison of Gibraltar.

During the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, the sea came up to the defensive walls and there were four outer gates through which the town could be entered. Four keys locked these entrances to the town. The ceremony’s origins date from the Great Siege of Gibraltar, which started in 1779 when French and Spanish troops attempted to capture Gibraltar. The keys were kept by the Governor who would hand them to the Port (Gate) Sergeant each evening at sunset, so that the four land entrances could be locked shut. The Gate Sergeant with an escort consisting of several armed soldiers, fife and drums would then march to each of the four gates in turn. He would be challenged by the sentry at the gate with the same words as used in London. Once all the gates were locked, the keys would be returned to the Governor at the Convent. In the morning, the Port Sergeant would once again collect the keys to open the town.

During the Great Siege, the Governor, General Sir George Augustus Elliot, reputedly would carry the keys with him everywhere; it was rumoured he slept with them under his pillow at night.

The ceremony was reinstituted in 1933 and is currently performed twice a year (in April and October) by the Royal Gibraltar Regiment and visiting British units and bands. In the modern version of the ceremony, at the firing of the sunset gun, the Governor of Gibraltar symbolically hands the keys of the fortress to the Port Sergeant. The Port Sergeant, accompanied by an armed escort, marches away to symbolically lock the gates of the fortress for the night before returning the keys to the Governor. The party is also accompanied by drums and fifes, to sound a warning for aliens to leave the colony before the gates are closed. The Ceremony is held only at one of the four gates, Grand Casemates Gates (the old Waterport Gates) at Casemates Square. At official dinners at the Governor's residence, the Keys are piped in by the Port Sergeant who hands them to the Governor declaring the fortress to be locked and safe, these are then placed on a cushion on the table where they remain during the meal.

Swan Upping

The swans on the river Thames are jointly owned by the Sovereign and two city companies, or guilds, the Dyers and Vintners.

The rights of ownership dates from the middle ages, when Swan was considered to be a delicacy and was served at banquets.

Each July, swanmasters or swan-uppers of the Queen and the Dyers and Vintners, go out in boats decked with colourful banners, to perform the old ceremony of lifting and marking the swans.

Swan Upping

Annual 'Swan Marking' on the Thames by the Vintners' Company,

The Dyers' Company and The Monarch's Swan Marker

DATES The Swan Upping event takes place in July each year, commencing on the third Monday at Sunbury and ending at Abingdon on the Friday. In 2008 the dates are 14th-18th July. Lower down on this page you will find a Typical Timetable for the week. To go there now, click here

The Swan Upping Fleet prepare to depart from

Eton College boathouses, 9.00am, 18th July 2000

The Swan Uppers set off from Windsor

The flotilla of Swan Uppers boats in Romney Lock Cut on the River Thames

at Windsor in the late 1940s. Note the flag featuring GR (centre right) indicating that

George VI (George Rex) was king at the time.

The photograph above records a ceremony associated with Swan Upping for many years,

where the Vintners and Dyers Companies stand to drink a toast to the Monarch

after passing through Romney Lock, the nearest lock to Windsor Castle, with the words:

"His/Her Majesty The King/Queen, Seigneur of the Swans."

Brief History

For more comprehensive information see Swan Upping History

Swan Upping dates from medieval times, when the Crown claimed ownership of all mute swans at a time when swans were considered an important food source for banquets and feasts. Today, the Crown retains the right to ownership of all unmarked Mute swans in open water, but the Queen only exercises her ownership on certain stretches of the River Thames and its surrounding tributaries. This ownership is shared with the Vintners' and Dyers' Companies, who were both granted rights of ownership by the Crown in the fifteenth century. Nowadays, the swans are counted and marked, but rarely eaten except perhaps occasionally at State Banquets.

The Queen's Swan Marker and Swan Uppers, accompanied by the Swan Uppers of the Vinters' and Dyers' livery companies use six traditional Thames rowing skiffs in their five day journey upstream as far as Abingdon. By tradition, scarlet uniforms are worn by The Queen's Swan Marker and Swan Uppers, and each boat flies their appropriate flags and pennants.

Swan Upping on the Thames at Windsor around 1908

The swans are 'rounded up'...

In the above picture the flag flying on the right hand boat features an 'E' and 'VII' so this picture was taken during the reign of Edward VII [1901-1910]. The king's Swan Master would travel in this boat. These pictures date from around 1908 as the picture below also features the Thames Hotel, extreme right, which was constructed at about that time.

...so that the swans can be caught...

...ready for ringing.

Monitoring the Swans Welfare

Swans at Windsor Reach - July 2000

The Queen's Swan Marker produces a report at the completion of Swan Upping each year, which provides data on the number of swans accounted for, including broods and cygnets. The cygnets are weighed and measured to obtain estimates of growth rates, and the birds are examined for any sign of injury (commonly caused by fishing hooks and line). The cygnets are ringed with individual identification numbers by The Queen's Swan Warden, whose role is scientific and non-ceremonial.

Apart from Swan Upping, The Queen's Swan Marker has other duties: he advises local organisations throughout the country on swan welfare and incidents involving swans, he monitors the health of local swan populations, and he briefs fishing and boating organisations on how to work with existing wildlife and maintain existing natural habitats. He works closely with swan rescue organisations and carries out the rescue of sick and injured swans when relevant, and coordinates the removal of swans from stretches of the river Thames used for summer rowing regattas.The following Press Release

was issued in 2002 and is included here for reference

Swan Upping, the annual census of the swan population on certain stretches of the River Thames, was announced today by David Barber, The Queen's Swan Marker.

The ceremony of Swan Upping dates from the twelfth century and takes place during the third week of July each year. It has always been the duty of the Sovereign's Swan Marker to count the young cygnets each year and to ensure that the swan population is maintained. With the assistance of the Swan Warden, Professor Christopher Perrins of the University of Oxford, the swans are also given a health check.

Announcing the dates for Swan Upping, David Barber said:

"There has been a significant increase in the number of breeding pairs nesting this year, with cygnets hatching earlier than usual. Fortunately the swans have avoided the spring floods that have washed away many nests in previous years.

Vandalism has once again taken its toll on the swan population as nests have been destroyed and eggs broken. These incidents occur mainly where the swans have nested in unsuitable locations within easy reach of riverside towns.

Fishing hooks and line are a significant factor in the injuries and deaths of many young cygnets. Discarded fishing tackle poses a severe threat of drowning and ingested hooks and line cause immense suffering which often results in death.

The dedication and vigilance shown by swan rescue organisations, combined with the support of the public and the work of the Environment Agency, is helping to maintain swan numbers.

Conservation continues to play a vital role in the ceremony of Swan Upping. It collates important data that reflects the enormous changes in the river's environment over past years, and a greater awareness of methods of conservation has resulted in a higher level of protection for the swans.

Education will play an important role in Royal Swan Upping this year and several schools will be visiting the banks of the River Thames. This educational programme will give young children an insight into how to protect the welfare of the swans.

Children from local schools will accompany the Swan Uppers as they carry out the swan census and health checks. They will have the opportunity to learn the history of Swan Upping and to understand the conservational impact of the ceremony today.

I hope this will increase their awareness of the value of our wildlife and import a sense of the respect with which it should be treated."

Opening of the Courts

In October each year a service is held in Westminster Abbey to observe the beginning of the new legal year. All judges of England and Wales, together with leading barristers, are invited to be present.

When the service is over, the procession takes place from the abbey to the House of Lords, for the customary Lord Chancellor's Breakfast. Although this may not be one of London's more colourful processions, it is none the less impressive to see these dignified ladies and gentlemen in their legal robes and wigs, as they make their way towards The Houses of Parliament.

The legal year has four sittings, beginning in October with Michaelmas; Hillary commences in January, followed by Easter and the Trinity sitting starts in May.

The Lord Mayors Show

The Lord Mayor's Show which dates back to the 15th century, is held each year on the second Saturday in November. This is a bright and cheering event, at the time of year when the skies of London can be grey and the weather gloomy.

The newly elected Lord Mayor is taken in his gilded coach from Guildhall, past St. Paul's Cathedral, down Fleet Street to the Royal Courts of Justice to take the oath of office in front of the Lord Chief Justice.

The Lord Mayor's magnificent coach weighs four tons and is pulled by six horses. It was built in 1757 and an Italian painter and engraver from Florence, Giovanni Cipriani, (who also painted the Gold State Coach, which you can see in The Royal Mews) painted the side panels.

A bodyguard march alongside the coach; these are members of the company of Pikemen and Musketeers. Many in the procession wear traditional costume, making this one of the most interesting and colourful events to take place in London.

A different aspect of London life, or its history, is chosen every year and portrayed in scenes mounted on floats, which precede the Lord Mayor's Coach.

Lord Mayor’s Show

That’s it for another year! We hope you had a good day and that this site was able to help with the practicalities. If you have any suggestions for next year, please do send them to Will.

If you’d like to know more about the history of the Show, we have lots of information about where it comes from, the obstacles it has overcome and the places it crops up in history and art.

The 2009 Lord Mayor’s Show will be

on Saturday 14 November at 11am.

The Lord Mayor’s procession winds through nearly 800 years of London’s history, marching unscathed through everything from the black death to the blitz. In the 17th century it was inconvenienced by the building site that would later become St Paul’s Cathedral. In the twentieth it was the first event ever to be broadcast live on television. In the 21st, it’s a day out for half a million people, with millions more watching on the BBC.

The loyalty of the Lord Mayor is probably less questionable now than it was in 1215, but the newly elected Mayor must still make his way to the Royal Courts of Justice to pledge allegiance to the Crown, just as Dick Whittington did in 1397 (and again in 1406 and 1419). As you watch the Lord Mayor’s coach go by, remember that someone stood in exactly that spot 450 years ago and marvelled at the sight of a camel on its way to meet Elizabeth I.

The modern procession is over three miles long – 1.3 miles longer than the route it follows – and starts at 11am after an RAF flypast. It travels from Mansion House to the Royal Courts of Justice, where the Lord Mayor takes an oath of allegiance to the sovereign before the Lord Chief Justice and the judges of the Queen’s Bench Division. The procession sets off on the return journey from Victoria Embankment to Mansion House at 1pm and returns to Mansion House at about 2.30, then the day finishes with one of London’s grandest firework displays at 5 o’clock from a barge moored in the Thames between Blackfriars and Waterloo bridges.