London's livery companies combine centuries of identity with modern work in education, skills, philanthropy, the professions and fellowship. For someone outside the network, though, the first question can still be: where do I begin?
The scale of the choice
The Livery Committee counts 114 livery companies in the City of London, plus a number of guilds and trade-related organisations. The newest, the Company of HR Professionals, was approved in February 2026. Any directory that includes guilds and companies without livery will show a different total from the official count of 114.
Discovery is part of impact
A strong institution should be easy to find, understand and approach. The Livery Committee's own Livery Impact Report 2025 records £81m of charitable giving and 76,100 volunteer hours. That impact reaches more people when they can find the right door.
What Alive! does about it
Alive! is a free discovery layer around the livery: clearer profiles, search by profession or interest, and links to each Company's own routes. It supports the companies rather than directing anyone.
What every Company can do
- Check how your Company appears and correct anything missing
- Add the words a newcomer would search for
- Offer a calendar feed so upcoming events appear automatically
Clerks can contact [email protected] to do any of this.