Guildhall
London
EC2V 7HH
T: 020 7606 3030
W: www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/guildhall
Visitor Information
Open: ordinarily, Guildhall is open to the public 10am-5pm daily (May-September) and 10am-5pm Mon-Sat (October-April). It can, however, close without notice when it is being used for events and visitors are advised to check opening times by telephoning the number given.
As the home of the City of London Corporation, Guildhall has been the centre of City government since the Middle Ages. The present Guildhall was begun in 1411 and, having survived both the Great Fire of London and the Blitz, it is the only secular stone structure dating from before 1666 still standing in the City.
The imposing medieval Great Hall at Guildhall is the third largest civic hall in England, where royalty and state visitors have been entertained down the centuries. It has been the setting for famous state trials, including that of Lady Jane Grey in 1553. Its stained glass windows cast light onto several monuments to national heroes including Admiral Lord Nelson, the Duke of Wellington and Sir Winston Churchill. Beneath Guildhall lies one of the largest medieval crypts in London.
The Old Library building, also contained within Guildhall, housed the Guildhall Library and the Guildhall Museum from 1873 until 1974, when the collections moved to the newly-constructed west wing and the Museum of London. This and the adjacent Print Room are now used as reception rooms.
Today, Guildhall still plays an important role in the City. It provides a venue for state and civic banquets, meetings of the City of London's elected assembly, the Court of Common Council, and for the Honorary Freedom of the City ceremony.