Barrels were rolled by beefeaters and bakers across Guildhall Yard on Tuesday as the annual Coopers’ Cask Race returned for its fifth year.
Thirty-two teams from across the City of London’s historic livery companies competed in the charity relay, racing empty wooden casks as fast as they could around the course.
Despite appearing to be a centuries-old tradition, the race, which is hosted by the Worshipful Company of Coopers, is a relatively new staple in the inter-livery competition calendar, having only been introduced in 2021.
Liam Randall, upper warden of the company described the event as the unofficial City of London sport’s day.
He said: “Even if people don’t know a huge amount about the cooper’s they’ll go ‘don’t you do that cask race?’, because it’s completely quirky.”
As well as showcasing one of the City’s oldest trades, the annual event raises thousands of pounds for charities supporting disadvantaged people in East London.
To find out more about the tradition, watch the video below.
Feature image: Katie Bevan
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