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
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