Merchant Taylors' Hall on Threadneedle Street, London

Merchant Taylors Hall, the courtyard - geograph

The Merchant Taylors' Hall, London is the seat of the

Worshipful Company of Merchant Taylors ] The Worshipful Company of Merchant Taylors is one of the 110 Livery company, livery companies of the City of London. The Company, originally known as the ''Guild and Fraternity of St John the Baptist in the City of London'', was founded prio ...

, one of the Twelve Great Livery Companies of the

City of London The City of London is a city, ceremonial county and local government district that contains the historic centre and constitutes, alongside Canary Wharf, the primary central business district (CBD) of London. It constituted most of London f ...

surviving from Mediaeval times. The Company has occupied its present site between

Threadneedle Street Threadneedle Street is a street in the City of London, England, between Bishopsgate at its northeast end and Bank junction in the southwest. It is one of nine streets that converge at Bank. It lies in the ward of Cornhill. History The stree ...

and Cornhill since 1347. It lies in the ward of Cornhill. It is thus one of only 40 remaining livery halls in London.

History

The first Hall was built at some date between the years 1347 and 1392 when it was known as "Taillourshalle"; between then and the Great Fire of London in 1666, no records show structural alteration of any importance except the rebuilding of the roof between 1586 and 1588. At the time of the Great Fire, the roof and the interior were gutted, leaving only the walls and foundations. The building was restored and embellished with tapestries, stained glass windows, chandeliers and panelling; but during the

London Blitz The Blitz was a German bombing campaign against the United Kingdom in 1940 and 1941, during the Second World War. The term was first used by the British press and originated from the term , the German word meaning 'lightning war'. The Germa ...

in September 1940, it was hit by a number of

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) ** Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

Luftwaffe The ''Luftwaffe'' () was the aerial-warfare branch of the German ''Wehrmacht'' before and during World War II. Germany's military air arms during World War I, the ''Luftstreitkräfte'' of the Imperial Army and the '' Marine-Fliegerabtei ...

incendiary bombs Incendiary weapons, incendiary devices, incendiary munitions, or incendiary bombs are weapons designed to start fires or destroy sensitive equipment using fire (and sometimes used as anti-personnel weaponry), that use materials such as napalm, th ...

and the Hall with both Galleries, the Western Entrance, the Grand Staircase and the Parlour with the Drawing Room above were destroyed. Certain important parts of the premises, however, escaped damage. These included the Library with its collection, inter alia, of early books, first editions and other interesting old volumes principally dealing with

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

; the Court Room, in which the walls are lined with portraits of Past Masters of the Company, and containing over the fireplaces two carved Coats of Arms representing the Company's original Grant of 1480 and the present Grant of 1586; the Great Kitchen, which has been in continuous use since 1425; and part of the Crypt of the late 14th-century Chapel which adjoined the East end of the Hall.

Reconstruction

The work of reconstruction could not be started until some years after the end of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

and the Hall itself was opened for use in March 1959. Although the interior had been gutted, the walls and foundations had survived and have been incorporated in the restored Hall, which still retains the basic proportions of the previous building although the style of decoration has been radically changed. Prominent features are the mahogany panelling, the stained glass windows containing the Arms of Honorary Freemen and benefactors and the

Renatus Harris Renatus Harris (c. 1652 - 1724) was an English master organ maker in England in the late seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries. During the period of the Commonwealth, in the mid-seventeenth century, Puritans controlled the country and or ...

organ. The new floor of the Hall is almost at the same level as the parquet floor of 1793, and sections of the three previous floor levels – the 14th-century beaten clay floor which was covered with rushes, the red tile floor laid in 1646 and the marble and Purbeck stone floor dated from 1675 – have been preserved and can still be seen in a trap in the floor. The Company's collection of plates dates mainly from the 17th century as most of their earlier possessions were either sold or melted down during the

English Civil War The English Civil War (1642–1651) was a series of civil wars and political machinations between Parliamentarians (" Roundheads") and Royalists led by Charles I ("Cavaliers"), mainly over the manner of England's governance and issues of re ...

to meet the King's demands for money, or were destroyed in the Great Fire of London. All that remains from these early days are the Corporate Seal of the Company (about 1502), the Cloth-yard (before 1509), the 16th-century ceremonial mace and the "Offley" and "Maye" rosewater dishes of 1590 and 1597.

Accessibility

The Hall is open for housing public events through a dedicated events and catering company. It has been used for various purposes, ranging from entertainment industry photocalls such as for the '' Harry Potter'' film '' Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire'' on 25 October 2005 (with

Daniel Radcliffe Daniel Jacob Radcliffe (born 23 July 1989) is an English actor. He rose to fame at age twelve, when he began portraying Harry Potter in the film series of the same name; and has held various other film and theatre roles. Over his career, Rad ...

Emma Watson Emma Charlotte Duerre Watson (born 15 April 1990) is an English actress and activist. Known for her roles in both blockbusters and independent films, as well as for her women's rights work, she has received a selection of accolades, includi ...

and

Rupert Grint Rupert Alexander Lloyd Grint (; born 24 August 1988) is an English actor. Grint rose to fame for his role as Ron Weasley in the ''Harry Potter'' film series, for which he was cast at age eleven, having previously acted only in school plays a ...

), to hosting official government and administrative events such as the

Mayor of London The mayor of London is the chief executive of the Greater London Authority. The role was created in 2000 after the Greater London devolution referendum in 1998, and was the first directly elected mayor in the United Kingdom. The current m ...

& Greater London Authority's Women in London’s Economy programme on 28 February 2008 (with Ken Livingstone,

Harriet Harman Harriet Ruth Harman (born 30 July 1950) is a British politician and solicitor who has served as Member of Parliament (MP) for Camberwell and Peckham, formerly Peckham, since 1982. A member of the Labour Party, she has served in various Cabi ...

MP, Diane Abbott MP, Elisabeth Kelan and Sandra Fredman).

External links

The Merchant Taylors' Hall

References

A historical catalogue of the pictures, herse-cloths & tapestry at Merchant taylors' hall with a list of the sculptures & engravings
{{Coord, 51.5141, -0.0854, type:landmark_region:GB-LND, display=title Grade II* listed buildings in the City of London Grade II* listed livery halls Worshipful Company of Merchant Taylors