A Secret Life of The Livery Hall – The City of London

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1 Mar

Written By WOOLF interior architecture and design

The Fishmongers’ Livery Hall - The Court Drawing Room

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.

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A History - The Guilds and The Halls

Most of these buildings also survived the bombings of the Second World War and have undergone phases of careful conservation over several decades since. They are often incredibly ornate and intricate buildings with a vastly intriguing history which has usually been immaculately preserved.
As the Livery Companies and their Membership grew, a focus shifted towards the relief of poverty and wider charitable purposes, beginning with donations and bequests from their own membership. It is the strengthening of these philanthropic roots over the centuries that have driven The Livery Halls to open up and to act as a force for good, entertainment and business enterprise in the modern world.

The Fishmongers’ Livery Hall by Rictor Norton & David Allen is licensed under CC BY 2.0 — Designing for Livery Halls

For Designers, Architects and Specialist Trades who work on the restoration and preservation of The Livery Halls, a close relationship with ‘The Committee’, who are the Guardians of the Livery Halls, is essential. These majestic buildings are ‘going concerns’ and they require modern day designers to enhance and preserve their majesty. The ability to ‘enhance and preserve’ the nature of a space is a very specialist skill and requires years of experience and training to obtain the level sensibility required.
For centuries these buildings have stood quietly and imperiously watching the world rush by unaware of what is behind the closed doors. The City of London has long been the home to such a splendid network of Livery Halls. A terrorist attack in London in 2019, near one of the Livery Halls, proved to be a pivotal moment in time that reignited an interest in the sacred and secret world of The Livery Hall.

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 Skinners’ Hall by Matt From London is licensed under CC BY 2.0

The Vintners’ Hall by Matt From London is licensed under CC BY 2.0

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 Apothecaries’ Hall - Apothecaries’ Society, Black Friars Lane, London

Apothecaries Hall Open House 2019: Apothecaries Hall" by p_a_h is licensed under CC BY 2.0

The Drapers’ Hall by HerryLawford is licensed under CC BY 2.0

Drapers Website by HerryLawford is licensed under CC BY 2.0

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.