Progress or PR madness? The first ever Lady Mayor’s Show
One of London’s oldest traditions, The Lord Mayor’s Show, has been renamed for the first time in 800 years as The Lady Mayor’s Show to honour Dame Susan Langley DBE, the first woman to hold the title.
This November, the City’s famous parade gets a new name. The Lord Mayor’s Show becomes The Lady Mayor’s Show, celebrating Dame Susan Langley’s election as the 697th Mayor.
She is the third woman to hold the position but the first to carry the title “Lady Mayor”.
A first in 800 years
This change in title is a historic moment – Langley will take office on the 7th November during a Silent Ceremony in the gothic setting of Guildhall’s Great Hall before leading the procession to Westminster on the next day. There, she will swear loyalty to the Crown.
This year’s poster and programme will be designed by the fashion illustrator David Downton. Here is a preliminary design of how it might look like.
Preliminary poster from the Lord Mayor’s Show website
“History Made” or Erased ?
“History made with first ever Lady Mayor’s Show” said the City of London Corporation.
From faith to finance, London has recently witnessed a wider trend of women leading London’s key institutions.
Langley joins Blaise Metreweli, the new head of MI6, and London’s bishop Sarah Mullally, soon to become the first female Archbishop of Canterbury.
While many welcome and applaud this title change, proof that London is modernising without losing its roots, some disagree.
Online the new title is said to “emphasise gender in a way that undermines parity” insisting on the need to retain the traditional “gender-neutral” title of “Lord Mayor”.
Others attacked the City as “corrupt and self-serving” suggesting it be “bulldozed into a public park”, questioning whether any of this really changes anything.
Previous Lord Mayor’s Show from @cityoflondoncorp
Beyond the Square Mile
But can this symbolic step forward by the Square Mile truly represent and affect the whole of modern London?
The City controls billions in assets but just around 10,000 residents. Langley promises a “Modern Mayoralty” focused on innovation and social impact.
Yet, for many Londoners, these traditions may still feel remote.
A show of change
The golden coach, the crowds, the drums: the spectacle stays the same. But this year, a woman leads it.
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HeadlineProgress or PR madness? The first ever Lady Mayor’s Show
Short HeadlineLady Mayor takes over London’s 800 year old parade
StandfirstOne of London’s oldest traditions, The Lord Mayor’s Show, has been renamed for the first time in 800 years as The Lady Mayor’s Show to honour Dame Susan Langley DBE, the first woman to hold the title.
This November, the City’s famous parade gets a new name. The Lord Mayor’s Show becomes The Lady Mayor’s Show, celebrating Dame Susan Langley’s election as the 697th Mayor.
She is the third woman to hold the position but the first to carry the title “Lady Mayor”.
A first in 800 years
This change in title is a historic moment – Langley will take office on the 7th November during a Silent Ceremony in the gothic setting of Guildhall’s Great Hall before leading the procession to Westminster on the next day. There, she will swear loyalty to the Crown.
This year’s poster and programme will be designed by the fashion illustrator David Downton. Here is a preliminary design of how it might look like.
Preliminary poster from the Lord Mayor’s Show website
“History Made” or Erased ?
“History made with first ever Lady Mayor’s Show” said the City of London Corporation.
From faith to finance, London has recently witnessed a wider trend of women leading London’s key institutions.
Langley joins Blaise Metreweli, the new head of MI6, and London’s bishop Sarah Mullally, soon to become the first female Archbishop of Canterbury.
While many welcome and applaud this title change, proof that London is modernising without losing its roots, some disagree.
Online the new title is said to “emphasise gender in a way that undermines parity” insisting on the need to retain the traditional “gender-neutral” title of “Lord Mayor”.
Others attacked the City as “corrupt and self-serving” suggesting it be “bulldozed into a public park”, questioning whether any of this really changes anything.
Previous Lord Mayor’s Show from @cityoflondoncorp
Beyond the Square Mile
But can this symbolic step forward by the Square Mile truly represent and affect the whole of modern London?
The City controls billions in assets but just around 10,000 residents. Langley promises a “Modern Mayoralty” focused on innovation and social impact.
Yet, for many Londoners, these traditions may still feel remote.
A show of change
The golden coach, the crowds, the drums: the spectacle stays the same. But this year, a woman leads it.
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