The Merchant Taylors' Hall in

York York is a cathedral city in North Yorkshire, England, with Roman Britain, Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers River Ouse, Yorkshire, Ouse and River Foss, Foss. It has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a Yor ...

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

, is a medieval

guildhall A guildhall, also known as a guild hall or guild house, is a historical building originally used for tax collecting by municipalities or merchants in Europe, with many surviving today in Great Britain and the Low Countries. These buildings commo ...

near the

city wall A defensive wall is a fortification usually used to protect a city, town or other settlement from potential aggressors. The walls can range from simple palisades or Earthworks (military), earthworks to extensive military fortifications such as ...

in the Aldwark area of the city.

History

The hall was built by the Fraternity of St John the Baptist (an organisation connected to the Taylors' Guild) in c.1415. It received a new cladding in the seventeenth century. The main hall is , with ceilings. The adjoining Counsel House (sometimes called the Counting House) contains two

stained glass windows Stained glass refers to coloured glass as a material or art and architectural works created from it. Although it is traditionally made in flat panels and used as windows, the creations of modern stained glass artists also include three-dimensio ...

by York glass painter

Henry Gyles Henry Gyles or Giles (1640?-1709), was an English glass painter based in York. Life He was the fifth child of E. (perhaps Edmund) Gyles, a glazier from York, and lived in Micklegate in the city. His entry in the first edition of the ''Dictionar ...

. The south window shows Queen Anne, and was made to commemorate her accession to the throne while the side window depicts the coat of arms of the London Company of Merchant Taylors. In the eighteenth century, the building was used for banquets and entertainment, including rope dancing, tumbling and a pantomime called "''The Force of Magick or The Birth of Harlequin''". The building is still used by the Guild of Merchant Taylors of York, and is available to hire. It is a short walk from this Hall to the

Merchant Adventurers' Hall The Merchant Adventurers' Hall is a medieval guildhall in the city of York, England. It is a Grade I listed building and scheduled ancient monument. History The majority of the Hall was built in 1357 by a group of influential men and women wh ...

, the hall (originally) of the Mercers' Guild in York.

References

External links

The Company of Merchant Taylors
Grade I listed buildings in York Grade I listed livery halls Guildhalls in the United Kingdom Timber framed buildings in Yorkshire {{NorthYorkshire-struct-stub