Member-only story
Why is Damian Lewis herding sheep across the River Thames?
It’s an older story than you might ever imagine
The City of London — a 1.21 square mile area right at the heart of London, including St Paul’s and the Walkie Talkie skyscraper — has many fantastic traditions dating back hundreds of years.
The annual Sheep Drive is a recollection of a core right of the City’s “Freemen” to bring certain goods, including sheep, to be sold in London without paying the fees charged to other merchants.
Michael Mainelli, current Lord Mayor of London (a very different role to the “Mayor of London”), shares some history in this post.
I had the pleasure of driving Romneys over London Bridge in 2008 in the very first sheep drive event, organized by the Worshipful Company of World Traders.
A little later, the Worshipful Company of Woolmen realised it was probably best they took on this annual event, and Rob & Pat Alston as then Master & Consort, plus John Burbidge-King who handled the organisation, handed the programme on to them.
