The Master, Tony Smart, with his customary enthusiasm, tested some 70 liverymen, freemen and guests both physically and mentally with an action packed programme over the two days of his Master’s outing

The event started on Friday evening when we met for an informal dinner at the Woburn Hotel where we were able to greet friends old and new. Little did we know what lay ahead as the Master’s dual career in electronics and furniture determined our programme.

On Saturday morning a coach was laid on to convey the party to Bletchley Park, the home of our code-breaking during the Second World War. We can only assume that the process of selection for the wartime code-breakers was less complex than attempting to break a gathering of Furniture Makers into three groups or we would surely never have had the personnel to break the German codes!! Eventually however we were guided round the site by knowledgeable guides who were able to bring to life the story of the Enigma code-breaking operation which was successfully achieved by the thousands of staff at Bletchley and made a major and immeasurable contribution to our war effort

Lunch was taken in the National Museum of Computing where we were surrounded by machinery which, now archaic, was state of the art when many of us started work. Who remembers when mobile phones sat on car battery size packs and only worked inside the M25?  Slide rules – what were they for?  Punch cards…..?

Once again we split into groups, and guides who seemed to have the ability to speak very fast in code ran us through a potted history of computing. While many of us found it a technical challenge the incredible facts we could all absorb were comparisons between yesteryear and today and the rapid advance of computer technology. Your smartphone now has millions of times more computer power than the whole of NASA’s capability when putting man on the Moon in 1969!

Armed with such facts we were left with some free time to revisit aspects of the Bletchley operation before returning to Woburn where we all enjoyed a reception and black tie dinner

Next morning we set off for another inspiring location, Waddeston Manor, built by Baron Ferdinand de Rothschild in the 19th century to entertain the fashionable world and display his eclectic arts collection.

An introductory talk by senior curator, Dr. Erich Leben, gave a foretaste of the treasures on display, but one couldn’t help but be amazed by the sheer volume and quality of the furniture, porcelain, paintings and manuscripts, including modern pieces as the trustees, the Rothschild family, continue to add to the collection today. Having toured the rooms and examined just some of the collection, we all agreed over lunch a further visit was required to appreciate fully this venue.

As we departed we reflected on another excellent social occasion enjoyed with our livery friends, with thanks to the Master, the office and the Events Committee for their hard work in the organisation

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