Brief history of the Environmental Cleaners

Eric Hill – also founder of the British Institute of Cleaning Science – helped by Sir Kenneth Cork, then Alderman for the Ward of Tower and later the Lord Mayor of the City of London, set up the organisation. An opening meeting took place on 22 October 1972 in the Stanley Dell Room of the City Livery Club, attended by 43 colleagues and friends from the cleaning industry. At this meeting the ‘The Guild of Cleaners’ officially began.

Becoming a livery company

In 1983, Alderman Sir Kenneth Cork sponsored the Guild’s Petition to be recognised as a Company of the City of London without livery. At this time the Guild also changed its name to the ‘Worshipful Company of Environmental Cleaners’. On 7 June 1983, the Court of Aldermen was pleased to agree with the Petition praying for recognition as a Company without a grant of livery.

A further Petition, this time sponsored by Alderman Sir Christopher Leaver, was submitted on 12 February 1986 and the Court of Aldermen agreed to the Company being constituted as the 97th Livery Company of the City of London on 22 October 1986 (the 14th Anniversary of the formation of the Guild).

The Windsor Herald of Arms presented the Environmental Cleaners with its framed Royal Charter in November 2011, having been granted by HM The Queen in 2010.

We can have up to 450 liverymen. The Environment Cleaners is an equal opportunities organisation and has had three lady Masters, so far.

  • HRH Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, was an Honorary Freeman of the Company.
  • The Lord Mayor of the City of London 2003, Alderman Sir Robert Finch and the Lord Mayor of the City of London 2010, Sir Michael Bear are both Honorary Liverymen.