Builders merchants take to the streets of London

City of London Livery Company The Worshipful Company of Builders’ Merchants is taking to the streets of London on Saturday (November 9) with a float in the Lord Mayor’s Show.

On Saturday the City celebrates the appointment of a new Lord Mayor of London- Alderman Fiona Woolf CBE, who is an Honorary Member of the WoCBM.

The Show is a two mile long annual City spectacular and the builders merchant’s float – number 13 in the parade – will be an eye-catching promotion of builders’ merchanting through the ages. It also supports the Get Britain Building campaign.

The Company has a new strapline to make the point that most materials for building are supplied via builders merchants: Supplying Britain’s Building Needs. It will be on banners, vehicle sides and giveaways.

Six vehicles in the Float show ‘Builders’ Merchants through the Ages’ starting with a Handcart circa 1813; Ridgeons’ Dray drawn by two Suffolk Punch Horses; Buildbase’s Model T 1920; Buttle’s 1934 truck; a Calor Gas 1950s truck; and a large, brand new Lawsons’ flat-bed.

Thirty Liverymen in long brown ‘Arkwright’ work coats, as worn by Ronnie Barker and Ronnie Corbett in the popular ‘Open All Hours’ TV comedy, with flat caps and traditional pencils tucked behind their ears will march with the vehicles. To add fun there will be 28 sponsors in imaginative costumes representing well known building materials from WC pans to windows.

Will the aspiring politician and future Prime Minister in the toilet pan chase the paint brush, and will she regret photos of this youthful indiscretion when she is a Minister?

Will the Dulux paint can chase the Commercial Director in the fetching yellow Lafarge cement bag, or will the ACO drainage connector in pink tights be bullied off the road by the Chief Operating Officer in her rather decorative Naylors pipework? Other well-known brands vying for TV attention are IKO, LG Harris, Fakro, Keylite, Knauf Insulation, Catnic Lintels, Monument, and Hunter rainwater and drainage.

Over 150 Builders’ Merchant Liverymen, Freemen and guests (wearing bright yellow hard hats and waving yellow rulers) will be in North Stand by St Pauls as the new Lord Mayor stops to bow to them, at which point they will throw their yellow hats in the air and cheer like mad.

You can follow the Worshipful Company on Twitter @WCoBM and all merchants and suppliers are invited to come along to support the industry along the route. It will be a great day out, and it’s in a good cause.