Hollywood star Damian Lewis has been photographed driving sheep over the River Thames in an “eccentric” tradition dating back hundreds of years.
More than a thousand Freemen of the City ushered their sheep along a historic trading route on Sunday, to celebrate their medieval right to bring produce to market over the Thames without paying tolls.
Shepherd-for-the-day Mr Lewis, 53, wore his grandfather’s wool coat and carried a crook as he herded the animals over Southwark Bridge in what he described as an “eccentric, very British, day”.
The Golden Globe and Emmy Award winning actor, who is himself a Freeman of the City, was photographed keeping the animals in check ahead of other freemen dressed in black hats and red and fur cloaks at the London Sheep Drive.
Mr Lewis said: “It was fabulous, I’m down here on this eccentric, very British day, honouring an old tradition where Freemen of the City of London can drive their sheep… toll free, free of charge, across the bridge – London Bridge as it was in the day – into the City of London in order to sell their produce.
“I was asked to do it today representing the Woolmen Company, the Worshipful Company of Woolmen I believe, to give it its full title, and I just played shepherd, shepherd Lewis, and it was very fun.”
The Worshipful Company of Woolmen is one of the oldest livery companies in the city and dates back to 1180.
Mr Lewis added: “Thank you for asking (me), I enjoyed it, enormously.”
He added that his coat was his grandfather’s from the First World War.
Mr Lewis won a Golden Globe and an Emmy for his portrayal of Nicholas Brody in the television show Homeland, and is also known for playing Major Richard “Dick” Winters in HBO’s Band Of Brothers miniseries, and Henry VIII in Wolf Hall.
Master Woolman at the Worshipful Company of Woolmen, Manny Cohen, told reporters that, as a Freeman of the City of London, Mr Lewis is “actually one of the celebrities that should be here”.
He said Mr Lewis’ great grandfather, grandfathers, and his brother were all Lord Mayors of London, who are elected annually and run the governing body of the Square Mile, the City of London Corporation.
Mr Cohen added that the actor studied at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama and “has a really close link to the City of London, and it’s great to see him here today” at the “quirky” event.
The tradition of taking sheep over London Bridge was resurrected around 15 years ago and the event is sometimes held on Southwark Bridge, depending on traffic plans, Mr Cohen said.
“We’ve just started with a few sheep and it’s sort of taken a life of its own now, and it’s a huge event – it’s the second largest outdoor event of the City of London, other than the Lord Mayor’s Show”, he added.
The fundraiser also has stalls and is expected to raise tens of thousands of pounds for the Woolmen Charity, which supports the wool trade, and the Lord Mayor’s Appeal that works to improve “London’s most pressing societal issues”.
