Wax Chandlers’ Hall is located in the heart of the City in Gresham Street on a site that the Company has owned since 1501
Located in the Foster Lane Conservation Area, the current brick and granite styled building is the sixth design of the Hall on the same site, having lost previous versions to the Great Fire of 1666, town planning and general disrepair. The Hall is well appointed and has benefited from a recent refurbishment to its interior.
Featured items
Aid Trip to Ukraine- An update from Rev’d Paul Kennedy
Merchandise available to members
Message from the Master- October 2024
City & Guilds Professional Recognition Awards Pilot
The Livery Companies Skills Council are delighted to report the successful completion of the City & Guilds Professional Recognition Awards Pilot. Funded by generous Livery grants and the Livery Companies Skills Council, seven Companies (Carpenters, Constructors, Masons, Plumbers, Wax Chandlers, Wheelwrights & World Traders) provided mentors for 10 candidates.
On our doorsteps…The Priory Church of St. Bartholomew the Great
St Bartholomew’s was established by Rahere, a courtier and favourite of King Henry I. It is thought that it was the death of the king’s wife Matilda, followed two years later by the drowning of their heir Prince William, his brother, half–brother and sister, that prompted Rahere to renounce his profession for a more worthy life and make his pilgrimage to Rome.
Michael Badger MBE – 70 years of devotion to bees and beekeeping
At the 2024 British Beekeepers’ Associations Annual Delegates Meeting in January, Michael Badger (WCC Hon. Court Assistant) was delighted to be presented with a certificate for 70 years of devotion to bees and beekeeping together with the organisations’ gratitude for his tremendous apiarist contributions in general, both locally and internationally.
Court & Livery Lunch 6th March 2024
Book Review: A World of Bees by Eric Tourneret
This book is not just about the diversity of honey-gathering methods but the importance of protecting bees and their natural habitats around the world. Those of you who attended the National Honey Show will have had the opportunity to see Eric Tourneret’s stunning photographs in exhibition and, maybe, even chatted to the author.
Sons of the Clergy
On Tuesday 7th May at 5.00pm in St. Paul’s Cathedral, the annual Festival of The Clergy Support Trust (Formerly known as The Corporation of The Son’s of the Clergy) will take place.
This will be the 369th Festival. It is one of those unique City occasions where a large number of Livery Companies come together to show their support for this ancient charity. This year the three choirs of St. Paul’s Cathedral, Rochester Cathedral and Durham Cathedral will provide some uplifting music with the sermon given by The Archbishop of Wales The Most Reverend Andrew John.
The Normansell Cup
The greatest treasure is the standing cup, which was acquired in 1683 from Richard Normansell, the company’s tenant in Aldersgate Street, and is still known by his name.
Master’s Outing to Bristol June 2022
As the capital of South West England, the city of Bristol played host to over forty members of the Worshipful Company of Wax Chandlers over three days in early June. This was the Master’s Outing of 2022 and can, on reflection, be regarded as a tremendous success.
Master signs Diversity ‘Charter’ at Court meeting
Having considered our position on Diversity and Inclusion the Court has agreed a statement on this important area. As master I signed this at our June Court meeting on behalf of the Court.
Margaret Ginman, Guest Speaker at Blackthorn Trust
I was general secretary of the Bee Farmers Association for nearly ten years – a role I have now stepped down from. It gave me a unique perspective on the keeping of honeybees and the issues around honey and wax production. One of the most pleasurable aspects of the role was the invitations I got to speak on the subject.
Past Master Anthony Bickmore very busy with his bees & Spring Beekeeping News from Liveryman Bob Maurer, Chairman of the National Honey Show
After a long winter it’s a joy to see the bees flying. There’s a holly tree in my garden and you can hear the bees working it from quite a distance. Colonies are building in size and already there have been swarms in my area. Not my bees I’m glad to say!
Newbattle Bees
Newbattle Bees Members Neil Rutherford and Malcolm Evans were presented with Affiliated Beekeeper Association award medals at the Scottish Beekeepers Association AGM. The Wax Chandlers Charitable Trust made a donation to Newbattle bees to help them develop their education and training programme and on Past Master Arthur Davey’s outing to Edinburgh we had the opportunity to visit the group.
Bees Abroad
The Wax Chandlers’ Charitable Trust have funded different projects delivered by Bees Abroad. This is an article about the most recent project.
Sustainability and Our Commitment to the Next 650 Years!
The Master, Anthony Bickmore signs the Worshipful Company of Wax Chandlers’ Sustainability Action Plan Statement of Principles watched by Past Master Joan Beavington and Upper Warden Tim Maile.
Trinity School interactive Art/Science workshop, St Vedast-alias-Foster
At the Court and Lunch on 9th March, Beverley Eaglesfield , CEO Trinitas Academy Trust (Bexley), spoke passionately about the challenges for the seven schools in her area of North East Bexley, the most deprived part of the Borough.
The Wax Chandlers’ Master of Bee Farming Award
The Wax Chandlers’ Master of Bee Farming Award is a unique prize open to us through our Rowse/ BFA apprenticeship scheme. It is a City and Guild and Livery Companies Skills Council award scheme for people who have really reached the pinnacle of the industry – technically the highest award in bees. A lifetime achievement award.
Charity Committee Update
There is a long-standing historical link between the London Borough of Bexley and The Worshipful Company of Wax Chandlers which goes all the way back to 1558 when a wealthy past master of the Company bequeathed an annual monetary sum to the inhabitants of Bexley, one William Kendall.
650th Celebrations
November 2021 was an exciting month as we celebrated the 650th anniversary of the granting of our first ordinances. The celebrations started on 4th November with a banquet at Guildhall where 180 Wax Chandlers and their guests enjoyed a wonderful evening in the presence of HRH the Duke of Gloucester.
Pollinating London Together
Pollinating London Together (PLT) is a pan-livery organisation, inaugurated in June 2019 as a long-term initiative to halt the decline of pollinators in the City of London and its immediate environs.
Banqueting
Wax Chandlers’ Hall is a prestigious venue in the City of London just a few minutes walk from the tube stations at St Paul’s and Bank. The Hall may be hired for lunches, dinners conferences and corporate events.
Beekeeping
The bee farming industry today is working with the Wax Chandlers through two key projects – the Rowse/Bee Farmers Apprenticeship Scheme and a ground-breaking Knowledge Exchange scheme.
The Hall
