Why Join?
We are a friendly, mid-sized Livery Company with the aims of encouraging fellowship within our community, providing a range of stimulating and fun events for our members to enjoy, facilitating the continued success of our associated trades, raising funds and providing support for our chosen charities/good causes, playing an active part in City life and institutions, and maintaining the health and success of the institution so that future generations may also enjoy it.
Although our roots lie in the now defunct trade for the manufacture of Pattens (undershoes worn to protect the wearers’ footwear from the grime of early streets), today we aim to be the premier footwear based Livery Company and have also become the Livery home for the Built Environment/Facilities Management industry. In addition, we welcome people from a variety of other backgrounds and have significant concentrations of members from the City, the Legal profession, the Civil Service and the Armed Forces. This creates an interesting and stimulating mix and results in a rich, diverse, vibrant and, in particular, friendly community.
We are very proud to have a vibrant Young Pattenmakers section for people under the age of 40. This has its own programme of events culminating in a spectacular centrepiece annual dinner.
Be yourself. We like it that way.
The Worshipful Company of Pattenmakers are committed to ensuring a feeling of belonging among all of our members and their guests regardless of race, gender, age, ability, religion, sexuality and all of our differences.
We are an open, inclusive, friendly livery company, proud to embrace the diversity of today while continuing to promote and uphold the traditions of the City of London. We pride ourselves on our fellowship, mutual respect and support that our members offer each other.
Tiers of Membership
There are two tiers of membership: Freeman and Liveryman. New members start as Freemen and after one year can then apply to be considered for admission as a Liveryman.
To apply to become a Freeman of the Company you must be proposed and seconded by current Liverymen who have known you well for at least two years. (If neither is
a member of the Court then the application must also be counter-signed by a Court member). You should also have attended at least one Company event as a guest, ideally more.
To cater for those that don’t happen to know existing Liverymen of the Pattenmakers or who would like to
find out more before committing to membership, there is a Friends scheme. This is a structured guest programme rather than a membership and operates for a fixed 2 year term permitting attendance at Company events. As such, it aims to allow Friends to find a Proposer and Seconder while learning about the Company to qualify them to then apply to become a Freeman at the end of the Friend term (although there is no obligation to do this nor any guarantee that the application will be approved).
Freemen and Livermen pay a ‘fine’ (joining fee for that particular tier) together with ‘quarterage’ (annual membership subscription applicable for that tier). Friends do not pay a fine but pay a set annual fee for each of the two years. In addition, all members and Friends pay to attend events. These vary in price but formal dinners are c.£100 per person and informal events are considerably less.
Full details of the level of fees and subscriptions for different classes of membership and for the Friends scheme are shown in the ‘Application Process’ document or available by request. Young Pattenmakers (under 40 years of age) receive specially discounted rates.
For more information please contact: clerk@pattenmakers.co.uk
