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The Autumn Livery Dinner was held in the beautiful surroundings of Goldsmiths' Hall, on Thursday 23th November 2006. Some 206 Liverymen and their Guests were in attendance for yet another exceptional event for the Livery.
Positioned at the junction of Foster Lane and Gresham Street, north east of St. Paul's Cathedral, the magnificent Hall, opened in 1835, is one of London's hidden treasures. The Hall is the third on this site, the Goldsmiths' Company being located here since 1339. Little is known of the first Hall but the second was erected in 1634-6 and restored after the Great Fire of 1666. It lasted for almost two centuries, but was eventually demolished in the late 1820s. The present Hall, by Philip Hardwick, remains much as he designed it, although there have been changes to the decorative schemes and the use of rooms. The Hall narrowly escaped complete destruction when in 1941 a bomb exploded inside the south-west corner. Faithfully restored on the exterior after the War and internally modified, it retains much of the charm of an urban palazzo. A major refurbishment which was completed in 1990 has further adapted this great building for the 21st century.
In a highly animated atmosphere we enjoyed an excellent dinner under the four matching chandeliers of English glass, each holding forty-eight candles, as the crystal facets twinkled in the candlelight. The interior décor of the Hall is nothing less than stunning.
The toasts were proposed by the Master David Laing and that to the Guests by Upper Warden Oliver Whitehead. The response on behalf of the Guests was made by Richard Dyke-Price, who recounted some awe inspiring tales of vintage car journeys undertaken in every possible corner of the world, from China to South America and every place between.
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