The Lord Mayor’s Show

History of The Lord Mayor’s Show

Back in the early 1200s, King John gave London the right to have its own Lord Mayor that the City appointed, rather than a sheriff chosen by the monarchy. This was to keep the capital on his side during a very turbulent time. The only stipulation he had was that the Lord Mayor had to leave the safety of the city to head to Westminster and swear their loyalty to the Crown.

The first Lord Mayor post is elected and is the grandest position a commoner could aspire to. You may have even heard of a famous Lord Mayor – Dick Whittington – who was Lord Mayor on three separate occasions.

There are hundreds of people involved in the parade, from the City’s businesses, charities, His Majesty’s Forces and the City Police all have parts to play, but there are also general members of the public who get involved as well.

Transport to and from

It’s best to plan ahead – all the roads within the City of London covering Aldwych, Monument, Liverpool Street, Barbican, and Smithfield will be closed. There will be no exceptions, so it’s best to make sure you know where to get the tube to and from and what other modes of transport are available.

Tube: Getting the Tube from Pimlico will be one of your best bets. There are several stops that will bring you right onto the procession at various points. You can get off at St Pauls to catch the outward procession, Blackfriars and Mansion House for the return of the parade or go to Bank to get right at the heart of the show and where the BBC cameras will be.

You can also get off at Waterloo, Borough and London Bridge for a short walk to the procession.

Walking: There are many walking routes you can take to various points. Head to South Bank via the Millennium Bridge to walk up to St Paul’s. It’ll get harder to cross the streets to get to a viewing point, so make sure you leave plenty of time and be aware that it will be busy and congested, so walking may take longer than you think.

River: Getting the river bus to Blackfriars will put you in an ideal place for the return leg. You can also use the pier at Bankside to get to Millennium Bridge and walk down to St Paul’s to see the procession come back.You will not be able to get into the area by car – it’s best to use public transport as much as possible. For buses, it’s best to check the TfL website to get up-to-date times and schedules.

Best places to watch

It all depends on what kind of experience you are looking for. There are many viewing points along the way, and most streets are available for spectators to stand and watch.

For the full show experience – it’s best to head between St Paul’s and Bank or to Ludgate and Fleet Street – these are open spaces this year, so they’ll be busy but ideal to get the ultimate viewing point.

For the quieter experience – it would be better to head to Embankment to watch the show come back. Stick to Temple and Blackfriars where it is much quieter and where there is more space to move around. This area is ideal for families with pushchairs and smaller children and wheelchair users.

A day out – stick around Mansion House; this is where the show starts and ends so once it’s gone out on its outward journey, you can go and grab some lunch and then come back to watch its return.

It will be busy around Fleet Street, it might be best to avoid it if you can, but otherwise, be aware that there will be large crowds in that area – and it’s where lots of the procession will have lunch.

What else to do

After you’ve watched the procession, there are plenty of places you can head to for an afternoon of sightseeing.

If you’re near St Paul’s or Bank, then you have the Museum of London, St Paul’s and the Tower of London.

If you’re in the Embankment area, you can easily walk to St Paul’s. You can also get to the South Bank where you have the London Eye, Sea Life London Aquarium, the London Dungeon or the South Bank Centre.

You can also get to the West End easily to watch a show – if you watch near Fleet Street, it’s a short walk over to Leicester Square and Covent Garden.

Staying at The Belgrave

Book your room at The Belgrave to so you have the whole of the city on your doorstep with easy transport routes into and out of London.

Our friendly and helpful staff are on hand to help with the needs of our guests – book today to get the break away you deserve.