Lord Mayor Of London Tea

Lord Mayor of London Tea

Emily Mailhot Reporter – Vegreville News Advertiser

On Friday, July 21, the Mannville Historical Society held up the longstanding tradition of celebrating Sir Peter Drury Haggerston Gadsden, Mannvilleborn Lord Mayor of London.

Gadsden was born in Mannville on June 28, 1929, where his father Basil Gadsden was the Anglican minister. When Peter Gadsden was five, his family returned to England and he was raised in Shropshire. After graduating in 1952, Gadsden joined Fergusson Wild & Co and became a minerals trader, and from there built up a significant business career. He was appointed Sheriff of the City of London in 1970, became an alderman for the ward of Farringdon Without for close to thirty years, and was Lord Mayor of London from 1979-80 at the relatively young age of fifty. He returned to Mannville six times before his death in 2006, and was reportedly “very friendly” towards the townspeople there.

Lilian Konieczny, president of the Mannville Historical Society, says that they remember Sir Peter Gadsden as an important part of remembering their history.

“We are very proud of the Lord Mayor of London being born in Mannville, in 1929, I believe it was,” Konieczny said, “It is significant history, and as the Historical Society we are charged with remembering the history of Mannville.”

Though the event has had a standing date for a number of years, there was a smaller attendance than the Historical Society would have liked to see. “Maybe people are starting to forget,” commented Konieczny.

In the last couple of years, Mannville has celebrated many significant anniversaries.

“The old hospital is gone, but it would be 100 years old this year,” Konieczny said. “Mannville Co-op is celebrating 100 years, the AGT was 100 last year, and the hotel was built in 1915.”

Traditional English tea and snacks was held free of charge at the library throughout the day to celebrate the Lord Mayor, and the idea that great men can indeed come from small places.