Why architects should take a fresh look at London’s livery companies

Mention London’s livery companies in architectural company and the response is often a polite shrug. At best, they are seen as curiosities from another era; at worst, institutions wrapped in a kind of ceremonial nostalgia that feels far removed from the realities of contemporary practice.

There are reasons for this. Most livery companies are old – some extraordinarily so – and their outward rituals can feel opaque, even theatrical. Gowns, formal dinners, unfamiliar titles and arcane customs do not obviously speak to a profession grappling with housing and climate crises and questions of relevance and equity.

Membership, too, has tended to skew male, white and comfortably established, reinforcing the sense that these are spaces shaped by yesterday’s priorities rather than today’s.

But it would be a mistake to conclude from this that livery companies no longer matter.

For close to a thousand years, these institutions have helped to shape the commercial and civic life of London. They were created not as social clubs but as professional communities: places where skills were nurtured, standards maintained, apprentices supported and public good taken seriously.

Their longevity is not accidental. It reflects an ability — sometimes slow, sometimes imperfect — to adapt to changing times. As architects, a profession that trades so readily on ideas of heritage, stewardship and continuity, we might reasonably ask whether we have a responsibility not simply to admire this history from a distance, but to help ensure that it remains meaningful.

The Architects’ Company supports architectural education through bursaries, prizes and scholarships, builds relationships with schools and universities, and contributes to charitable initiatives that widen access to the built environment professions

The Worshipful Company of Chartered Architects is a particularly interesting case. Unlike many of its counterparts, it is not weighed down by centuries of accumulated tradition. It was founded in 1984, granted full livery status in 1988 and received its royal charter in 2019, making it one of the newest companies in the City. It is relatively small, not wealthy, and still very much in the process of defining what it wants to be.

This is not a weakness. It is an opportunity.

Much of the work of today’s livery companies centres on education, training and charitable activity – in other words, on the modern equivalents of apprenticeship and professional stewardship. The Architects’ Company supports architectural education through bursaries, prizes and scholarships, builds relationships with schools and universities, and contributes to charitable initiatives that widen access to the built environment professions.

It maintains links with craft, construction and skills education, recognising that architecture is part of a much broader ecosystem of making and building. This is entirely consistent with the original purpose of the livery movement. The tools have changed; the intent has not.

Where the challenge lies is in relevance and representation. The Architects’ Company, like many livery companies, does not yet reflect the diversity of the profession or the society it serves. That is not unique, nor is it irreversible. The real question is who chooses to engage, and how.

It is easy to stand at a distance and conclude that such institutions are “not for people like us”. It is harder – but ultimately more productive – to imagine what they could become if shaped by a broader range of voices. The Architects’ Company is particularly well placed to do this precisely because it is young enough to evolve and small enough to be responsive.

For younger architects, involvement offers a chance to engage with a civic structure that operates beyond the usual confines of practice and procurement – one that can support education, mentorship and public-facing work in tangible ways. For others – women, people of colour and those of diverse sexual orientations, for instance – participation is not about assimilation into an outdated model, but about influencing what a modern professional community looks like when it takes inclusion seriously.

Tradition, handled thoughtfully, need not be an obstacle to progress. It can provide continuity, perspective and a sense of shared responsibility.

If it is to speak convincingly to the future of the profession, it needs the involvement of those who will shape that future

Tradition only retains its value, though, if it is actively renewed. Allowing institutions to drift into irrelevance through lack of engagement is not a neutral act; it is a decision to let history go rather than see it as useful.

The Worshipful Company of Chartered Architects’ story is still being written. Its relative newness means that it is not bound by the same weight of expectation as the oldest companies, and its modest scale allows for experimentation and change.

If it is to speak convincingly to the future of the profession, it needs the involvement of those who will shape that future. That is why I joined and that is why I am asking you if you will consider it too.

Architecture often talks about stewardship – of places, resources and communities. There is a quieter form of stewardship, too: taking responsibility for the institutions that connect our profession to the wider civic life of the city.

Our livery company is part of that landscape. Its customs, practices and programme of activities may not always look familiar, but their continued relevance depends, in part, on whether architects choose to engage with them.

The Architects’ Company offers a rare chance to combine continuity with change; to protect a long tradition of professional responsibility by keeping it alive, active and relevant to the world we now inhabit. That is not about rescuing the past. It is about honouring it properly and deciding what it becomes next.

If you would like to get involved, you can email me: martyn.evans@landsec.com