The Master and Wardens would very much like to extend a warm welcome to you as you are admitted to the Worshipful Company of Constructors
With the current requirement that all our procedures are essentially by remote control, the Master feels that much of the personal touch that normally accompanies the honour of admission to a Livery Company has been lost, so he has recorded this short message (Link to Video). However, we are very conscious that remote working may not be the best way to welcome new members, so you will, in due course receive a more personal telephone call from Past Master Graeme Monteith. Please ask him any questions you may have. We look forward to seeing you at some of our future functions, and whilst these will, in the short-term probably be virtual, we do hope that we will be able to meet you in person at one of our events once the Covid-19 restrictions have been eased. You will be warmly welcomed.
The Company was initially founded as the Company of Builders, but received its Royal Charter in 2010 as the Worshipful Company of Constructors. We currently have some 300 members, just under half of which are Liverymen and there are about the same number of Freemen.
As a new member of the Company you are first admitted as a Freeman, and then, at a time of your choosing, you can seek approval from the Privileges Committee (via the Clerk), to progress to being a Liveryman, a precursor to which is that you have been accepted as a Freeman of the City of London, again the Clerk can help you here. Livery can be granted to all Freemen who satisfy the Livery qualification criteria (currently in the Yearbook) and, with the agreement of the Master, Wardens and Court, those freemen who do not have the requisite qualifications may also be advanced to Livery status. Only Liverymen are entitled to vote in any of the City of London hustings or attend the United Guilds Service at St Paul’s.
The organisation of the Company is mandated by its Statutes and its Standing Orders, which suggest our organisation:
You will see from the above that the principal decision maker in the Company is the Court and it may be that as time progresses you will be invited to join Court, initially as a 3-year time limited appointment as a Junior Warden. You will then have a significant role to play in the management of the Company and may, later, be asked to join Court as a Junior Warden, progressing through Court and eventually becoming a Warden and ultimately, Master. But to achieve these honours you will have to give both your time and support to the Company.
As with all organisations, you will get out of the Livery, that which you put into it. We rely on various members of the Company, who give unstintingly of their time and effort, to make the Company run smoothly, and anything you can do to support the Company will be appreciated.
You will be viewing this message on the Company Website, and although it is not part of that website, and is only available through the link in your letter, you can navigate through the website from this page. The website is not only a reliable source of information about the Company and the livery in general, but is also an up-to-date source of information about future events. The Members’ Area also contains lots of information about the Company and this is password protected. To access the Members’ Area you should use the password Arthur2020.
If you would like any further information, or would like to let us know of any skills or interests that you feel might be of interest, then please do drop the Senior Steward an email. Please also regularly check your profile on the membership database, and amend it as you think fit. it is only by doing this that the Company can be sure that the data it holds for you is up-to-date, and that we have up-to date contact details for every member