City of London Guildhall in London Open House Weekend

Sep 19, 2011
Gina Barnes

Great Hall in the City of London Guildhall - G.Barnes

The third weekend in September is Open House in London. Many private and public buildings are open to be viewed, some on a walk-in basis, some ticketed.

The City of London

Many visitors to England do not realize that the "City of London" does not refer to the whole of London itself but only to the "square mile" of the old Roman city of Londinium, now housing the financial district plus a bit of residential area at the north end. Parts of the original wall around the Roman fort can be seen near the Barbican, a name which refers to the battlements of the fort but now applies to the arts centre and housing development established in a bombed out area after the Second World War. The Museum of London has its main building in the Barbican at the address of 150 London Wall.

The City of London is a corporation; unlike the other boroughs of London, it has its own mayor (the Lord Mayor of the City of London) and its own police force. It is also unique in that it only has 11,500 residents among a day-time working population of about 312,000 (2009 mid-year census). It pays for the Barbican out of business taxes on the City (i.e. the financial district), and it maintains several other public facilities such as the Central Criminal Court and the Heathrow quarantine station, while the City of London cemetery (a Grade I listed landscape) is located far to the east in the borough of Newham.

The City of London Guildhall and Old Library

The Guildhall and associated buildings, including an art gallery, were open during the London Open House Weekend. One was free to walk around the various facilities and listen to guides stationed at certain points expanding on details in view. The Guildhall itself forms the administrative centre of the City of London. It was built in the early 15th century on the grounds of a previous 13th-century civic hall and has withstood damage in the Great Fire of London (1666) and the Blitz (1940). Built like a church (photo), its interior is named the Great Hall where the Court of Common Council (the corporation's decision-making entity) meets and where state banquets and other notable functions are held.

Two statues of Celtic Britain stand watch at the west end of the Great Hall: these are Gog and Magog (photos), anachronistically wearing Roman armour. The Guildhall pamphlet states that these were "giants who represent the legendary pre-Christian conflict between ancient Britons and Trojan invaders; a struggle which resulted in the founding of Albion's capital city, New Troy, on whose site London is said to stand." This is only one of the many myths surrounding these two, who first appear in the Bible. Moreover, the name New Troy conflicts with other stories about the founding of Londinium, thought to have been named after a settlement with a similar-sounding name on the Thames which was conquered by the incoming Romans.

Below the Guildhall are the East and West Crypts. The western crypt (photo), thought to date from the earlier civic hall (13th century), collapsed in the Great Fire and was restored in 1973. The eastern crypt was built in the 15th century and was restored in 1961. Again, these crypts are constructed like church crypts, which again brings into the question whether churches were the only models for public buildings in Medieval times.

Next to the Guildhall stands the Old Library, also built like a church (photo). The Open House guide related how its book collections were removed periodically to a "book store" (storage area) below, so that its hall could be used for functions. After the functions the books were replaced above. Both the hall and book store (now refurbished) are empty and open for viewing, the library having been removed to new premises within the complex.

Conducted tours of Guildhall Great Hall alone during the year can be booked by ringing +44-20-7606-3030x1463 or by emailing remcommitteerooms@cityoflondon.gov.uk. The Guildhall Art Gallery is free and open every day; from the Art Gallery, one can visit the Roman Ampitheatre, discovered below during construction.