Inside the Mayor's chamber

This week is Tyne and Wear Heritage Open Days week. And in this special week, you can go and have a nosey around buildings and areas that the public usually can't get into.  Today was one of those days and it was off to the Mayor's chamber at the local council for a good neb.

It felt as if we had peeked under the curtain just like in the Wizard of Oz.  The Wizard, I mean the Mayor, was even there to meet and talk to our group, along with his good lady wife.

First stop was the Mayor's parlour, which was like a first-class airport lounge. Or, how I'd imagine a first-class airport lounge would look like. Lots of plush sofas, comfy chairs, nice things to look at, great views from the windows.  From there, an ante-room was filled with gifts from visitors but my eye was taken with these very old, very big books of minutes of Council meetings.   The photo gives no idea of scale, but those books were approx. one foot high.

Then the to the Mayor's dining room. With its 1970s chandeliers and polished silverware, it was very formal. Not my cup of tea and if I had to go for dinner there I'd be terrified of using the wrong fork.

The Mayoral robes which are as heavy as the Mayor said they would be.

And the Mayor's meeting room with obligatory signed Sunderland AFC shirts.

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