The Mayoral Chain and Robes
ListenThe Mayoral Chain
The Mayor of the Borough of Bracknell Forest wears a chain of office which is invested annually at the Mayor making ceremony, usually in May. The Mayor takes an oath of office when the chain is put in place. Along with the main Mayor’s chain shown opposite there are 5 other emblems of office associated with the mayoralty, these are:
- The Deputy Mayor’s chain
- The Mayor’s Consort/Mayoress chain
- The Deputy Mayor’s Consort/Deputy Mayor chain
- The badge of the Immediate Past Mayor (IPM)
- A badge for former Mayor’s of the Borough
The chains are made of sterling silver enameled, and are gold plated. They were presented to the Borough as a gift sponsored by Marks & Spencer on 1998. They were designed by Thomas Fattorini of Birmingham.
In 2010 the badge on the chain was updated to reflect the borough's new logo. the badges were kindly donated by Mr John Nike OBE DL.
The Mayor’s chain is engraved on individual escutcheons with the names of the six parishes that make up the Borough of Bracknell Forest. These are:
- Binfield Parish Council
- Bracknell Town Council
- Crowthorne Parish Council
- Sandhurst Town Council
- Warfield Parish Council
- Winkfield Parish Council
Past Mayor’s of the Borough are also commemorated on the chain with their names and period of office engraved.
The Ceremonial Robe
The ceremonial robe was presented to the Borough in April 2003 as a gift from the Meteorological Office. The robe itself is made of scarlet superfine faced cloth, with broad facings. The sleeves are edged in artificial fur and the robe is trimmed in black velvet. To complete the outfit there is a laced jabot, white gloves and a very striking black tricorn hat.
The robe is worn, at the Mayor’s discretion, on special occasions such as when royalty visit or when representing the Borough in other authorities where the host Mayors wear robes. The robes may also be worn at citizenship ceremonies and civic functions such as the Civic Service and Civic Reception.
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