Just after dusk, I wandered down Garlick Hill to St James
Garlickhythe. In the evening lamplight it was easy to imagine the ships
bringing their garlic to the pier that existed at the end of the lane for so
many centuries. I entered the church to celebrate Choral Eucharist on The Feast
of St Nicholas. We enjoyed some lovely anthems in the course of the Service.
Thence it was to Vintners’ Hall for the Feast of St Nicholas as guest of The
Worshipful Company of Parish Clerks.
White tie was the
dress code of the evening, and it was a splendid and elegant evening with
around 140 attending the Feast. I was delighted to have either side of me
highly entertaining and convivial company, and the evening was most enjoyable.
Of particular note was the cross toasting session which I had been warned about
in advance! After the main toasts were completed, there followed a period of
some minutes when members of the Company toasted other members of the Company
at will by rising when they wished to and calling out the name of the Parish
that they wished to toast, rather than the name of the Parish Clerk! As
several members are on their feet at any one time, and as the recipient of the
toast might well be at the other end of the Hall, a loud voice, even a very loud voice, is necessary. What ensued was singular
indeed, and most entertaining to watch and listen to! After several minutes,
the hubbub was brought to a close by the Beadle and the speeches ensued, and
excellent they were too.
My thanks to the Parish Clerks for their warm hospitality
and a memorable evening.
No comments:
Post a Comment