Merchant Taylors' Hall, York

The Merchant Taylors' Hall in York, England, is a medieval guildhall near the city wall in the Aldwark area of the city.

Merchant Taylors' Hall, York
The front of the Merchant Taylors' Hall showing the seventeenth-century red-brick cladding
General information
TypeMedieval Guildhall
LocationYork, England
Coordinates53.961914°N 1.077184°W / 53.961914; -1.077184
Website
http://www.merchant-taylors-york.org
Listed Building – Grade I
Designated14 June 1954[1]
Reference no.1259571

History

The hall was built by the Fraternity of St John the Baptist (an organisation connected to the Taylors' Guild) in c.1415.[2]

It received a new cladding in the seventeenth century. The main hall is 60 by 30 feet (18.3 by 9.1 m), with 30 feet (9.1 m) ceilings. The adjoining Counsel House (sometimes called the Counting House) contains two stained glass windows by York glass painter Henry Gyles. The south window shows Queen Anne, and was made to commemorate her accession to the throne while the side window depicts the coat of arms of the London Company of Merchant Taylors.[2]

In the eighteenth century, the building was used for banquets and entertainment, including rope dancing, tumbling and a pantomime called "The Force of Magick or The Birth of Harlequin".[3]

The building is still used by the Guild of Merchant Taylors of York, and is available to hire. It is a short walk from this Hall to the Merchant Adventurers' Hall, the hall (originally) of the Mercers' Guild in York.[4]

References
  1. Historic England. "Merchant Taylors' Hall (1259571)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 22 June 2016.
  2. "Our hall and its history". Merchant Taylors. Retrieved 25 August 2020.
  3. Rosenfeld, Cybil (1970). Strolling Players and Drama in the Provinces. octagon Books. p. 140. ISBN 978-0374969356.
  4. Historic England. "Merchant Adventurers Hall (1257828)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 22 June 2016.

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