Entertainment at Guildhall

In the 19th century, visiting foreign monarchs often made formal visits to the City of London. On the afternoon of 19 April 1855, The Emperor and Empress of the French ( (Louis Napoléon III and Eugénie) attended a reception at the Guildhall. The Recorder presented the address of the Lord Mayor and the Corporation of London. The Emperor gave a speech of thanks referring to the City's 'available resources which its wide commerce affords both for civilization and for war'.

The banquet that followed in the council chamber had been prepared by 'Messrs Staples of the Albion'. The table napkins were trimmed with lace and embroidered with the imperial arms of France and the City and the doyleys were of imperial green velvet fringed with gold. The Empress pointed out the decorated wine glasses to the Emperor and it was reported that both 'seemed highly pleased with the design'. The porcelain dessert plates were made by the Colebrookdale or Coalport Pottery. The special order of porcelain was completed in only seven days and the service was decorated with a beautiful imperial pattern on the firm's celebrated 'turquoise ground'.

The food served was sumptuous as one would have expected for such royal visitors. There were standard dishes associated with City banquets such as turtle soup ('Potage de tortue clair') but other much rarer dishes were also on the menu such bird's nest soup ('potage de nids d'oiseaux Chinoix') and ptarmigan pie with truffles ('Gateau de ptarmigan aux truffes'). The wines included a 1822 Johannisberg, a Malvoisie made from the grapes of Mount Ida in Crete which was the legendary childhood home of Zeus, and a 109 year old sherry. The banquet's menu has been printed in gold and blue on a white silk.