Thousands watch centuries-old Lord Mayor's show

The City of London was taken over by one of Britain's oldest traditions as the annual Lord Mayor's Show took place.

Dating back more than 800 years, the event marks the appointment of the new Lord Mayor of London, with Alderman Bronek Masojada taking up the position this year.

About 6,500 people, 250 horses and more than 50 floats, including a replica of Tower Bridge with rising bascules - movable sections of road - took part.

The 2.86-mile (4.6km) procession, from Mansion House to the Royal Courts of Justice and back again, happened on Saturday morning. Organisers had expected more than 350,000 people to line the route.

The Lord Mayor travelled along the Thames in the ceremonial barge Jubilant, followed by a flotilla of livery company boats, before coming ashore at HMS President.

The journey echoes the route Lord Mayors once took to Westminster to swear loyalty to the Crown.

Deputy Nighat Qureishi, chair of the Lord Mayor and Sheriffs' Committee, said the event was one of the longest-running public shows that was not rehearsed.

"It's a very unique position that the City of London Corporation does and it's all just to highlight all the different things that we actually get involved with.

"One of the things is being at the financial centre of the world, but also that dovetails into all the community and all the social work that the City of London Corporation engages with, whether it's with homelessness, whether it's with suicide prevention, whether it's to look after the parks, the Royal Parks in Kenley or otherwise."

Martyn Craddock, the Ward Beadle for the Aldersgate Ward, has helped put the show together.

"It's a beautiful historic, traditional event that's been going on for so long," he said.

"It is here to celebrate the new Lord Mayor but it brings Londoners together. It brings lots of people from all around the country and the world together to come and see the best of what London's got on offer in beautiful surroundings, on the most glorious sunny - but cold - day."

Dressed in full ceremonial regalia, Craddock described how his uniform differed from others: "The role of beadle has been around since the 13th century and the outfits were all distinct for the ward within the City of London.

"Every ward has a different type of braiding, sometimes they have a different colour. Very few of us have green, but the outfit is provided by the City of London for each of the ward beadles.

"We have this beautiful three-cornered hat and each of us have the mace of our wards. It's absolutely beautiful, but it weighs an absolute tonne."

Masojada took office at the Silent Ceremony on Friday. He succeeds Dame Susan Langley, the first person to hold the title of Lady Mayor, and will be London's 698th Lord Mayor.

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