Editing Lord Mayor of London (section)

==Rights and privileges==
[[File:Hans Holbein, the Younger - Sir Thomas More - Google Art Project.jpg|thumb|left|upright|The Lord Mayor's Collar of Esses also used as the symbol of office by Lord Chancellor [[Sir Thomas More]].]]

The residence of the Lord Mayor is known as the [[Mansion House, London|Mansion House]]. The establishment of the residence was considered after the [[Great Fire of London]] (1666), but construction did not commence until 1739. It was first occupied by a Lord Mayor in 1752, when [[Gascoigne|Sir Crispin Gascoigne]] took up residence. The official car of the Lord Mayor is a [[Rolls-Royce Phantom VI]] with registration number LM 0.

In each of the eighteen courtrooms of the [[Central Criminal Court, London|Old Bailey]], the centre of the judges' bench is reserved for the Lord Mayor, in his or her capacity as chief justice of the City of London. The presiding judge therefore sits to one side.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/about-the-city/about-us/buildings-we-manage/Pages/old-bailey-history.aspx|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150413112633/https://www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/about-the-city/about-us/buildings-we-manage/Pages/old-bailey-history.aspx|url-status=dead|title=Old Bailey History|archivedate=13 April 2015}}</ref>

It is sometimes asserted that the Lord Mayor may exclude the monarch from the City of London. This legend is based on the misinterpretation of the ceremony observed each time the sovereign enters the City at [[Temple Bar, London|Temple Bar]], when the Lord Mayor presents the City's [[City of London swords#Pearl Sword|Pearl Sword]] to the sovereign as a symbol of the latter's overlordship. The monarch does not, as is often purported, wait for the Lord Mayor's permission to enter the City. When the sovereign enters the City, a short ceremony usually takes place where the Lord Mayor presents a sword to the monarch, symbolically surrendering their authority. If the sovereign is attending a service at St Paul's Cathedral this ceremony would take place there rather than at the boundary of the City, simply for convenience.

The importance of the office is reflected in the composition of the [[Accession Council]], a body which proclaims the accession of new sovereigns. The Council includes the Lord Mayor and aldermen of London, as well as members of the [[House of Lords]] and [[privy councillor]]s. At the [[coronation of the British monarch|coronation banquet]] which follows, the Lord Mayor has the right to assist the royal butler. The same privilege is held by the [[List of mayors of Oxford|lord mayor of Oxford]], while the [[mayor of Winchester]] may assist the royal cook. Such privileges have not been exercised since 1821, when the [[coronation banquet]] (celebrating the coronation of [[George IV]]) was held.