History of the Show
There has been a Lord Mayor of London ever since 1189 and in 1215, by charter of King John, it became one of the earliest elected offices in Britain.
In the late days of King John the Mayor of London was a powerful office, equal to any of the unruly Barons of the period, and the King was cautious. He granted a Charter to the people of London allowing them to elect their own Mayor every year, out of gratitude for the support of the City in various baronial feuds, but he required that the new Mayor present himself to the Sovereign and swear loyalty to the Crown. Each year the newly elected Mayor had to make the long journey upriver from the City to Westminster to pledge allegiance.
The Lord Mayor has been making that journey every year for 785 years, surviving plague and fire and countless wars and insurrections. The modern Lord Mayor's procession is a direct descendant of that first journey to Westminster and the pageantry of Pepys and Canaletto is recognisable today.
Over the years the Mayor's Journey became so splendid that it became known as the Lord Mayor's Show. Today's Shows are a wonderful mixture of past, present and future with today's businesses, Livery Companies, charities, Her Majesty's Forces, the City Police and Londoners from all walks of life coming together to enjoy a splendid celebration of the City's tradition and future.
