A Secret Life of The Livery Hall – The City of London
In our view, some of the most outstanding discreet and audacious historic architecture and interiors in The City of London are home to the splendid, sacred and secret world of the livery hall.
Informal trade guilds began to form during the early Middle Ages and these associations became the first Livery Companies. Originally charged to act as formal Governance Bodies for their namesake trades, the Companies also offered fraternal, religious and social aspects to their members. The majority of Livery Halls survived the Great Fire of London in 1666 and were then built on or rebuilt for their members during the 1800s.
The Fishmongers’ Livery Hall
The first recorded Fishmongers' Hall was built in 1310. In 1666 a replacement hall, designed by the architect Edward Jerman, opened in 1671. On 29 November 2019 a terrorist attack at the Grade II* listed Fishmongers’ Livery Hall brought it to the public’s attention, this amazing building with an auspicious history, came into sharp focus. The Fishmongers’ Livery Hall is adjacent to London Bridge and is the headquarters of the ‘Worshipful Company of Fishmongers’; one of 110 Livery Companies in the City of London. The terrorist was wrestled to the ground on the bridge by members of the public, before being shot dead by armed policemen. One man had used a pole as a weapon to fight off the attacker, while another man used a narwhal tusk which he had taken from the wall inside The Fishmongers' Livery Hall.
The Vintners’ Livery Hall
‘The Worshipful Company of Vintners’ is one of the most ancient Livery Companies of the City of London; thought to date back to the 12th Century. The Vintners' Hall is situated by Southwark Bridge, in Vintry Ward. The wine trade was of immense importance to the Medieval economy – between 1446 and 1448, wine made up nearly one-third of England’s entire import trade. The Livery Hall houses many fine pieces of furniture and the rooms contain, among other items, fine paintings including St Martin Dividing his Cloak with the Beggar, by Anthony Van Dyck (first mentioned in the archives in 1702-3) and portraits of Charles I, Charles II, Mary II and Prince George of Denmark (the Consort of Queen Anne).
The Drapers’ Livery Hall
For almost a century after becoming a guild, the City’s Drapers continued to meet as they had always done, in taverns or in each other’s houses. By the 1420s, with the trade in woollen cloth flourishing, they decided to build their own hall. This first Drapers’ Hall was in St. Swithin's Lane. Carefully planned alterations, respecting the Hall’s Grade II* listing have since improved the kitchens, meeting rooms, archive facilities and offices. Conservation is a serious and ongoing undertaking. The 18th century oak panelling in the Clerk’s Office, which stands in the oldest part of The Livery Hall (which survived a second fire in London in 1772) was recently restored and a team of conservators are currently at work on The Main Livery Hall. An architectural patchwork it may be, but The Drapers’ Hall is a monument to a fascinating progression of architects, surveyors and craftsmen who have all left their mark on this extraordinary building.