Late C17 and later. Hall circa 1670, refaced by Robert Mylne in 1800. East side of Portland stone with 4 round-arched windows and doorway with arch above. Small cornice and high parapet with Coade stone panels. Semi-circular steps and pair of ornamental lamp standards to entrance. Second, lower entrance to basement. Fine lead rainwater head. Rear rendered in plain manner. Interior has coved plaster ceiling of C19 character. Fine original screen, with modest staircase, also doorcases, dressers panelling etc with much carving. C19 stained glass. Further fine carved C17 joinery in Stock Room to east, which with adjoining staircase dates from 1887. This wing has high basement and is faced in Portland stone with slated roof and a low spire above a bay window. Small, stone-faced addition at south end of hall with entrance below. Courtroom, to north of rear garden has been rebuilt but retains some C18 features. To west is simple, original building of 1 storey now stuccoed. Mullioned and transomed windows. Hipped, tiled roof. South side of garden is enclosed by St Martin's Church.
Summary of Monument
Stationers’ Hall, 30m north-east of the Guild Church of St Martin-within-Ludgate.
Reasons for Designation
A livery hall is a type of guildhall belonging primarily to the London livery companies (chartered companies originating from the craft guilds), but also found elsewhere in the country. It is so called because of the livery worn by members of the guild. Guildhalls were traditionally the hall of a crafts, trade, or merchants’ guild but latterly had many different functions and became recognised in the 19th century as town halls. Some livery or guild halls were built in the medieval period but they became more widespread in the 17th and 18th centuries. The classic form was often a first-floor meeting room, raised on arcades, incorporating an open-sided market hall on the ground floor. They also often included administrative rooms or offices. During the eighteenth century increasing architectural elaboration was given to halls, reflecting the success of livery companies, the growth of municipal self-awareness and urban identity. Until the Municipal Corporations Reform Act in 1835, boroughs (corporations), which were often based at guildhalls, acted as private bodies that existed for the benefit of their members rather than the community at large. The Act reformed the administration and accountability of incorporated boroughs and they subsequently gained greater municipal power and responsibility. This was reflected in the scale and architectural adornment of later guildhalls, which became high points of Victorian public architecture.
Despite later alterations and restoration, Stationers’ Hall is a fine example of a late 17th century livery hall, which survives well. It will also retain archaeological information about the mansion house of Lord Abergavenny. It is a significant testament to the development of commercial activity and trade regulation in the city of London.
History
Details
The monument includes a late 17th century livery hall, altered in the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries. It is situated between Amen Court and Ludgate Hill, near St Paul’s Cathedral in the city of London.
The main front to Amen Court, was refaced by Robert Mylne in 1800. It is constructed of Portland stone with four round-arched windows and an arched doorway, a cornice and parapet. There is a second, lower entrance to the basement. Behind the Amen Court frontage, the hall buildings are disposed around a central courtyard. These include the hall-block, a single storey building on the east side, the Court Room, a three storey building on the north side, and the Storehouses, a single storey to the west. The Guild Church of St Martin-within-Ludgate completes the south side of the quadrangle. A later wing projects to the east from the north end of the hall-block, backing onto Stationers’ Hall Court, and is not included in the scheduling. The walls of the hall-block have a chalk core to the lower parts and are of brick above; the other buildings are of brick with some Portland stone dressings and the roofs are covered with tiles and slate. The walls of the basement of the Hall are thought to contain surviving masonry of an earlier house of Lord Abergavenny.
The Worshipful Company of Stationers and Newspaper Makers (better known as the Stationers’ Company) were formed in 1403 and gained a Royal Charter in 1557. It was responsible for copying and selling manuscript books and writing materials, as well as enforcing copyright regulations until about 1695. The company purchased the mansion house of Lord Abergavenny on the current site in 1606. It was burnt down in the Great Fire of London and the current hall was built on the site in about 1670. The Court Room was added in 1748 and alterations were carried out in about 1800, 1885 and in 1952.
Stationers’ Hall is Grade I listed. The Roman and medieval remains of London Wall on the west side of the site are included in a separate scheduling.