Pageantmaster Court, EC4
Walking through the City of London the other night I came across a welcome sight, that of a street sign bearing the name Pageantmaster Court near St Paul’s Cathedral on Ludgate Hill. On doing some brief internet digging, the sign goes back to 1993 and commemorates J.R. Snowdon, Pageant Master of twenty of the Lord Mayor’s Shows.
Though not strictly a historical pageant the Lord Mayor’s show, which dates from 1189 (held annually since 1751) and held on 28 October, features many aspects of pageants including extensive costumes and livery. Our very own Pageant Master extraordinaire Louis Napoleon Parker was responsible for the historical sections of the Lord Mayor’s Show in 1907 and 1908.
The 2014 Lord Mayor’s Show commemorated the eighth hundredth anniversary of the signing of Magna Carta by drawing an original copy of the document through the streets, and featured 7000 performers in historical costumes from Vikings to the present day.
Civil War pikemen at the 2010 Lord Mayor's Show