The Guildhall is a building in the City of London, off Cheapside and Basinghall Street, in the wards of Bassishaw and Cheap. For London as a whole see the main article London. The City of London is a geographically Cheapside is a street in Cheap ward of the City of London that links Newgate Street with the junction of Queen Victoria Street Cornhill Basinghall Street (sometimes written as "Bas' s' inghall" is a street in the City of London, England. Bassishaw is a ward in the City of London. This small ward is bounded on the east by Coleman Street ward to the south by Cheap ward to the north by Cheap (meaning Market) is one of the 25 wards which makes up the City of London It has been used as a town hall for several hundred years, and is still the ceremonial and administrative centre of the City of London (which should not be confused with Greater London, of which it is only a very small part) and its Corporation. For London as a whole see the main article London. The City of London is a geographically Greater London is the top-level administrative subdivision covering London, England. The City of London Corporation (formerly known as the Corporation of London)is the municipal governing body of the City of London. The term Guildhall refers both to the whole building and to its main room, which is a medieval style great hall similar to those at many Oxbridge colleges. A great hall was the main room of a royal Palace, a Nobleman 's Castle or a large Manor house in the Middle Ages, and Oxbridge was originally a fictional composite of the University of '''Ox'''ford and the University of Cam'''bridge''' in England, and the term is now The Guildhall complex houses the offices of the City of London Corporation and various public facilities. The City of London Corporation (formerly known as the Corporation of London)is the municipal governing body of the City of London. Greater London also has a City Hall. City Hall is the headquarters of the Greater London Authority which comprises the Mayor of London and London Assembly.
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History
Roman, Saxon and Medieval
The great hall is believed to be on the site of an earlier Guildhall (one possible derivation for the word 'guildhall' is the Anglo-Saxon 'gild', meaning payment, with a "gild-hall" being where citizens would pay their taxes). During the Roman period it was the site of an amphitheatre, the largest in Britannia, partial remains of which are on public display in the basement of the Guildhall Art Gallery and the outline of whose arena is marked with a black circle on the paving of the courtyard in front of the hall. Roman Britain refers to those parts of the island of Great Britain controlled by the Roman Empire between AD 43 and 410 Britannia was the term originally used by the Romans to refer first to the British Isles, and later to the island of Great Britain. The Guildhall Art Gallery houses the art collection of the City of London, England. Indeed, the siting of the Saxon Guildhall here was probably due to the amphitheatre's remains[1] Certainly excavations by MOLAS in 2000 at the entrance to Guildhall Yard exposed remains of the great 13th century gatehouse apparently built directly over the southern entrance to the Roman amphitheatre, which raises the possibility that enough of the Roman structure survived to influence the siting not only of the gatehouse and Guildhall itself, but also of the church of St Lawrence Jewry whose strange alignment may shadow the elliptical form of the amphitheatre beneath. The Museum of London Archaeology Service (MoLAS is a Registered Archaeological Organisation (RAO with the Institute of Field Archaeologists (IFA and is a self-financing [2] The first documentary reference to a London Guildhall is dated 1128 and the current hall's west crypt may be part of a late-13th century building. Legendary British history made the Guildhall's site the site of the palace of Brutus of Troy. Brutus ( Brut, Brute, Welsh Bryttys) a legendary descendant of the Trojan hero Aeneas, was known in medieval British legend
1441-present
Parts of the current building date from 1411 and it is the only stone building not belonging to the Church to have survived the Great Fire of London in 1666. This article is about the Great Fire of 1666 For other great fires in London see Early fires of London or Second Great Fire of London. The complex contains several other historic interiors besides the hall, including the large mediaeval crypts, the old library, and the print room, all of which are now used as function rooms. In terms of European architecture a crypt (from the Latin crypta and the Greek κρυπτη, kryptē) is a stone chamber or
Trials in this hall have included those of Anne Askew (Protestant martyr), Henry Howard, Earl of Surrey, Sir Nicholas Throckmorton, Lady Jane Grey, Guildford Dudley, Thomas Cranmer, Henry Peckham, John Daniel, John Felton (Catholic), Roderigo Lopez, Henry Garnet (in connection with the Gunpowder Plot), Gervase Helwys (in connection with the Overbury plot) and it contains memorials to Pitt the Elder, Pitt the Younger, Admiral Lord Nelson, the Duke of Wellington, William Beckford and Sir Winston Churchill. Anne Askew (also spelled Anne Ayscough) ( 1521 - 16 July 1546) was an English poet and Protestant who was persecuted as a heretic Henry Howard Earl of Surrey KG (1517 &ndash 19 January 1547) was an English aristocrat and one of the founders of English Renaissance Sir Nicholas Throckmorton (or Throgmorton) (c 1515/1516 &ndash 12 February, 1571) was an English diplomat and Politician Lady Jane Grey (1536/1537&ndash 12 February 1554) also referred to as Queen Jane, a greatniece of Henry VIII of England, was a claimant Blessed John Felton (?- 8 August 1570) was an English Catholic martyr who was executed during the reign of Elizabeth I. Rodrigo Lopez, whose original name was probably Rodrigo Lopes (c Henry Garnet or Garnett (1555 &ndash May 3, 1606) was an English Jesuit, executed due to his involvement in the Gunpowder Sir Thomas Overbury (1581 &ndash 15 September 1613) English Poet and essayist and the victim of one of the most sensational crimes in English history William Pitt 1st Earl of Chatham PC (15 November 1708 &ndash 11 May 1778 was a British Whig Statesman who achieved his greatest fame as William Pitt the Younger (28 May 1759 &ndash 23 January 1806 was a British politician of the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. Vice-Admiral Horatio Nelson 1st Viscount Nelson 1st Duke of Bronté, KB (29 September 1758– 21 October 1805 was a British The Dukedom of Wellington, derived from Wellington in Somerset, is an hereditary title and the senior rank in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. William Beckford (19 December 1709 &ndash 21 June 1770 was a well-known political figure in 18th century London, and twice held the office of Lord Mayor of the City of Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, KG, OM, CH, TD, FRS, PC, PC (Can ( 30 November 1874 It also played a part in Jack Cade's 1450 rebellion. Jack Cade (possible real name John Aylmer or John Mortimer) was the leader of a popular revolt in the 1450 Kent rebellion which took place in
The Great Hall did not completely escape damage in 1666, and was partially restored - with a flat roof - in 1670. The present grand entrance (the east wing of the south front), in "Hindoostani Gothic", was added in 1788 by George Dance (and restored in 1910). The Gothic Revival is an architectural movement which began George Dance may refer to George Dance the Elder, English architect George Dance the Younger, English architect son of George Dance A more thorough restoration than that in 1670 was completed in 1866 by City of London architect Sir Horace Jones who added a new timber roof in close keeping with the original. An architect is a licensed individual who leads a design team in the Planning and Design of buildings and participates in oversight of Building Construction Sir Horace Jones ( 20 May 1819 - 1887 was an English Architect of the 19th century knighted in 30 July 1886 Sadly, this replacement was destroyed during The Second Great Fire of London on the night of 29th/30th December 1940, result of a Luftwaffe fire-raid. The night of 29 December / 30 December 1940 was one of the most destructive air raids of the London Blitz, destroying many Livery It was replaced in 1954 during works designed by Sir Giles Gilbert Scott. Sir Giles Gilbert Scott, OM, FRIBA ( November 9 1880 – February 8 1960) was an English Architect
Present
The day-to-day administration of the City of London Corporation is now conducted from modern buildings immediately to the north of the Guildhall, but the Guildhall itself, and the adjacent historic interiors, are still used for official functions, and it is open to the public during the annual London Open House weekend. The City of London Corporation (formerly known as the Corporation of London)is the municipal governing body of the City of London. Open House London is an organisation which promotes appreciation of architecture by the general public The Guildhall Art Gallery was added to the complex in the 1990s. The Guildhall Art Gallery houses the art collection of the City of London, England. The Clockmakers' Museum and the Guildhall Library, a public reference library with specialist collections on London which include material from the 11th century onwards, are also housed in the complex. The Clockmakers' Museum in London, England is a collection of clocks watches and other horological items which belongs to the Worshipful Company of Clockmakers The Guildhall Library is administered by the Corporation of London the government of the City of London, which is the historical heart of London, England
Gog and Magog
Two giants, Gog and Magog, are associated with the Guildhall. The tradition of Gog and Magog ( Hebrew גוג ומגוג Arabic يأجوج و مأجوج begins in the Hebrew Bible with the reference to Legend has it that the two giants were defeated by Brutus and chained to the gates of his palace on the site of Guildhall. Brutus ( Brut, Brute, Welsh Bryttys) a legendary descendant of the Trojan hero Aeneas, was known in medieval British legend Carvings of Gog and Magog are kept in the Guildhall and taken out and paraded in the annual Lord Mayor's Show. The Lord Mayor's Show is one of the longest established and best known annual events in London which dates back to 1215
An early version of Gog and Magog were destroyed in the Guildhall during the Great Fire of London. They were replaced in 1708 by a large pair of wooden statues carved by Captain Richard Saunders. Benjamin Franklin ( April 17 1790 was one of the Founding Fathers of the United States of America. These giants, on whom the current versions are based, lasted for over two hundred years before they were destroyed in the Blitz. The Blitz was the sustained bombing of Britain by Nazi Germany between 7 September 1940 and 10 May 1941 in World War II. They in turn were replaced by a new pair carved by David Evans in 1953 and given to the City of London by Alderman Sir George Wilkinson, who had been Lord Mayor in 1940 at the time of the destruction of the previous versions. An alderman is a member of a municipal assembly or council in many jurisdictions The Lord Mayor is the title of the Mayor of a major city with special recognition
Notes
- ^ Current Archaeology 137
- ^ British Archaeology 52
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