Each year the Master of the Worshipful Company of Actuaries arranges a weekend event to which all of the Livery are invited, together with their partners.
For 2018, Nick Salter organised the event, which was held from 31 August to 2 September and centred on the lovely town of Marlow-on-Thames.
The event saw 33 liverymen and 30 guests attend, beginning with dinner at the Compleat Angler Hotel, where we enjoyed beautiful views over the river and the Marlow bridge. On the Saturday, the group went by coach to Stonor Park, a country estate near Henley that has been in the same family for 850 years. We had a private tour of the building and its chapel, learning about its history. The family had a tough time during the Reformation and had to give up much of its land while also protecting Edmund Campion, a Jesuit priest who printed his pamphlet 10 reasons [to reject Anglicism] on presses in the loft. The estate's more recent history involved one Lord Camoys selling all its contents at auction, only for a future Lord Camoys to buy them all back piece by piece.
From Stonor, the group had a wonderful lunch at Leander Club in Henley, at the end of the stretch of water on which the annual Henley Regatta takes place. This was at the kind invitation of the Senior Warden, Fiona Morrison, who is a member of Leander and captained the women's rowing club at Cambridge.
The journey back from Henley to Marlow was along the river, in a boat hired from Salter's Steamers. The views of the surrounding countryside and beautiful houses was outstanding, and the opportunity was taken to celebrate the birthday of liveryman Robert Ross with a substantial cake and some welcome prosecco. The main dinner was held on Saturday night, preceded by drinks on the lawn.
Sunday morning was more energetic, with the group splitting into two: one walked along the Thames to Bourne End and back over the hills, while the other followed a treasure hunt through the streets of Marlow.
The weekend finished with lunch and a general feeling that it was lucky the weather had been so kind! A great weekend and a wonderful opportunity to get to know fellow liverymen and their partners better.