Ironmongers' Hall, excluding Ferroners' House

Ironmongers' Hall is a livery hall built between 1923 and 1925 to designs by Sydney Tatchell, with significant additions constructed between 1977 and 1979 by Fitzroy Robinson. The 1920s building work was carried out by Messrs Holland and Hannen and Cubitts, Ltd. The decorative craftwork was executed by leading specialists: stone and wood carving by George Alexander, plasterwork by George Jackson & Sons, stained glass by Reginald Bell of Clayton and Bell, and wrought ironwork by FG Frost and Bainbridge Reynolds. The large extension known as Ferroners' House, built between 1975 and 1977 by Fitzroy Robinson, is excluded from the listing.

Construction and Materials

The building has a steel frame. The principal western range facing the public is constructed of red brick from Daneshill, Hampshire, with Portland stone dressings and some timber framing. The roof is covered with plain tiles, and there are tall brick chimneys. Red brick is also used at the south-east corner of the building. Elsewhere, stock brick predominates, rendered and painted in some areas, with slate roofs. The building stands on a concrete raft at foundation level. Windows vary in type, the most important being Portland stone mullioned and transomed casements with leaded lights; others are plain metal-framed casements by Crittall. Cast-iron rainwater goods survive, some bearing dates.

Site and Plan

The hall is approached via Shaftesbury Place, off Aldersgate Street. It occupies a constrained site now enclosed by the Museum of London (1968–1976 by Powell and Moya, unlisted) and the Barbican (1962–1982 by Chamberlin, Powell and Bon, Grade II). The building has a broadly L-shaped plan. The western section comprises a north-south entrance range with a projecting entrance porch to the west, abutting a west-east range that forms a right angle with the eastern cross range containing the Banqueting Hall, which extends northwards. The south-east corner is occupied by the Fountain Court, surrounded on two sides by a cloister that was enclosed in the 1970s. At the southern end of the west elevation, running parallel to the entrance porch and enclosing the south end of the entrance range, is the 1970s Ferroners' House, which is excluded from the listing. There are other smaller extensions of similar date, the most notable running along the western side of the Banqueting Hall range.

Exterior

The building rises three storeys over a basement with attics. Ground level drops to the south, providing basement-level access to service areas.

The western principal elevation is of red brick. A single-storey entrance porch advances on the left, faced in Portland stone, with a four-centred arched opening. The spandrels feature foliate decoration incorporating the Company crest detail of the salamander beneath hood-moulding, and above is a heraldic panel displaying the Company achievement and motto: 'GOD IS OUR STRENGTH'. The opening holds wrought-iron gates and a grille with rose and quatrefoil enrichment. Inside the porch is a linenfold-enriched wooden door, flanked by high-relief sculptures in trefoil-headed niches: St Lawrence (patron saint of the Company, left, with gridiron) and St Elegius (patron of all types of metalworkers, right, with hammer, anvil and horseshoe), carved by a Mr Gregory to George Alexander's designs. The right-hand section of the elevation has a secondary entrance within a brick Tudor-arched opening, inserted in the 1970s in place of a window that formerly lit the Beadle's Office. The lantern above is original, though slightly repositioned. At first-floor level, the west frontage comprises a nine-light canted bay window to the left, and to the right, a nine-light mullioned window lighting the main staircase. The timbered second storey is set back, with three mullioned windows of varying sizes beneath the angled eaves. Above are three hipped dormer windows set into the roof. There was formerly a goods entrance at the southern end of the elevation. Now, the southern end is enclosed by Ferroners' House, which projects westwards from the area where the secondary entrance was formerly situated, and wraps around the south-western corner of the original building. Rising above Ferroners' House to the east is the red-brick lift and service stair tower, now raised by a storey.

The blind north elevation of the entrance range, rising to a wide stack, is rendered and painted. The north elevation of the central west-east range is largely obscured by additions, whilst the roof has been extended upwards with the insertion of dormer windows on both sides. The stock-brick south elevation of the central range is utilitarian in character, with a projection to the east accommodating kitchen areas, served by a fire escape. Stone mullioned windows light the Card Room and Library at first-floor level, and the Luncheon Room below, whilst there are metal-framed windows with concrete lintels and cills to service areas. The elevation has small WC extensions.

The west side of the Banqueting Hall is enclosed by a plain 1970s addition in stock brick that conceals the ground and lower-ground floors and rises almost to the full height of the wing at the north end, housing fire exits for the rooms above the Banqueting Hall. Three mullioned windows lighting the upper part of the Banqueting Hall remain visible above the extension. The large arched window Tatchell originally envisaged at the northern end of the elevation was not realised. The tall slate roof has four inset dormers in the west side, rather than the original three. The north elevation contains the large 21-light window to the Banqueting Hall above the 15-light window to the Court Chamber. The east elevation of the range is similar to the west, though the only part of this elevation obscured by extension is the southern ground-floor area. Its principal feature is the oriel window which rises through the two storeys of the Banqueting Hall.

The tall gabled south wall of the Banqueting Hall range is faced in red brick with stone surrounds to the mullioned windows. The lower, eastern elevation of the central range is similarly treated and the two are joined by a canted corner.

Interior

The public parts of the building are richly appointed. Frequently encountered features include oak small-square panelling with shallow skirting, and panelled oak doors with elaborate wrought-iron strap hinges. Walls on the upper floors are plastered unless otherwise noted. In addition to 1920s heraldic glass by Reginald Bell, there is some stained glass originating from the Company's earlier halls, and post-war stained glass by Michael Farrar Ball. Several of the most important windows have foliate and emblematic carving to the central mullions. Electric lights were provided by Burt, Escaré and Denelle Ltd, with many examples surviving. Original plans for the building indicate room names, which are used in the description below.

Besides the Great Stair, the building has a number of subsidiary stairs. The main service stair is in the south-west corner of the original building. In the south-east corner of the central range, a new dog-leg stair replaces a winder stair which originally rose between the basement and first floor, serving the food preparation areas. In addition to the Members' Lift there are service lifts and dumb waiters in the same areas.

Within the building's small 1970s extensions, the interiors are excluded from the listing at every level. The interior of the south-west service lift and stair tower, which is very much altered, the tower having been extended to the south, and raised by a storey, is not of special interest and is also excluded from the listing at every level of the building.

Ground Floor

Entrance Porch: The outer doors open to a small lobby, from which glass doors (about 2010) open to the Vestibule. The Vestibule has panelling to the walls, with doors leading to the former Under Beadle and Porter's rooms to either side of the lobby. On the north side is the foundation stone, set within a wooden frame with a marquetry border. To the south, heraldic stained glass.

Main Entrance Hall ('The Hall'): Approached through a screen of square paired fluted columns, the hall has full-height panelling with pilasters and flagstone flooring. The large chimneypiece is in Tudor style, the stone surround having a depressed arched opening, rose and fleur-de-lys stops to the inner moulding, and foliate spandrels. The timber mantel is carried on terms, holding (left) scroll and quill, (right) hammer and tongs. Above is an elaborate oak overmantel above coved cill with strapwork decoration and owls/cockerel, with a painted quotation from Sir Francis Bacon ('It is a reverend thing to see an ancient castle or building not in decay' etc from his essay 'On Nobility') beneath gadrooned square panels between diapered columns with masks to the capitals. The whole is surmounted by scrollwork cresting around an armorial cartouche of the Company. The plaster ceiling is based on that of the long gallery at Haddon Hall. Stained glass to the north-east corner includes references to the hall's escape from damage during the Second World War. In the east wall, double doors open to the Members' Lift. A lift was installed from the opening but the present version is probably a replacement of 1977–1979.

Members' Corridor: Running along the north side of the central range, and turning at a right angle along the east side of the Banqueting Hall range, the corridor is entered via a stone arch with medieval armour to the spandrels. The walls are lined with oak panelling to three-quarter height with later display vitrines built into the north side. The floor is stone flagged, and there is a plasterwork ceiling. A new opening has been created in the corridor panelling giving access to the extended Gents' WC ('Members' Lavatory'). The extended area, together with the present Beadle's room/events office, is excluded, being within one of the extensions noted above. A screen has been erected between the fourth and fifth bays of the corridor, with double doors. To the south, the ladies' WC occupies an L-shaped area comprising the former Members' Cloakroom and the Ladies' Lavatory, both much altered, with a small extension between the two. This area is excluded from the listing. The room marked on the 1923 plans as having been occupied by the Accountant, and also serving as the Ladies' Cloakroom, contains historic hooks and stands for coats, hats and umbrellas. This room no longer connects with the former Ladies' Lavatory.

Luncheon Room: Occupying the eastern part of the central range, to the north of the corridor, this has oak panelling to three-quarter height with pilasters, and decorative plasterwork to the upper walls and the ceiling in Tudor/Jacobean manner, divided into four compartments with beams, and said to be influenced by ceilings at Loseley Park, Surrey, and Audley End, Essex. There is armorial stained glass to the mullioned window in three to the east (former Masters' arms), and to the south window (Tin Plate Workers' Company). There is a built-in bench beneath the east window, and the south door (to the Buttery) and window are set within a stone surround. There are projecting lobbies to the north-east and south-east corners. The one to the south-east originally led to the Buttery, and the one to the north-east has a false door. Both have openwork plaster decoration above the doors with a portcullis grille, serving the building's ventilation system. The angled approach to the Buttery via the south door, visible from the Luncheon Room itself, retains its arched doorway, faced by a mullioned window. Otherwise, the Buttery area has undergone some reconfiguration, and does not appear to retain historic features. This area is of lesser interest.

The Clerk's Room: To the north of the corridor at the south end of the Banqueting Hall range, this is panelled in oak to three-quarter height. The mullioned window to the south holds memorial glass panes to various clerks. South-east and south-west corners are angled, the former with a large stone chimneypiece bearing the inscription in raised lettering, 'And let the counsel of thy own heart stand for there is no man more faithful unto Thee' etc (Ecclesiasticus 37:15). There are built-in oak cupboards to the east wall (not present from the first). The west wall screens a long compartment for a safe and storage of books/documents. The room has a decorative plaster ceiling in two compartments.

Staff Office ('Clerical Staff'): To the north of the Clerk's Office, this room is relatively plain, without features of note other than the deep moulded cornice, and the Strong Room occupying the north-west corner. The office is now connected with two small rooms forming an extension to the east, which in their turn form a sequence with the rooms now bordering the cloister.

The Court Chamber: Filling the north end of the Banqueting House range, this has an elaborate plaster ceiling (based on one at Crewe Hall, Cheshire) in three compartments with vine enrichment, the Company shield in a cartouche repeated within the strapwork decoration. Panelling rises to four-fifths height with paired pilaster strips. There is acanthus-enriched strapwork to the frieze, and above the pilasters, masks representing many different trades. The mullioned window to the north holds the arms of former Masters. Two three-light windows on the east and west sides of the room have the arms of Company donors in the central light (that to the south-east commemorates the 1579 bequest of Margaret Dane). Fixed to the wall over the position of the Master's chair, on a panel designed to accommodate it, is a small portrait sculpture of Edward IV, understood to be by Caius Cibber (1630–1700). Above the panelling, ventilation grilles and clock are enclosed by plaster borders enriched with roses.

Fountain Court: Entered through an angled octagonal vaulted lobby from the corridor at the south-east corner, with a small stained glass window representing St Elegius over the door into the courtyard. The courtyard face of the doorway has foliate decoration to the spandrels, with an iron lantern above. The courtyard is paved in flagstones, with a central stone fountain featuring twin salamanders given in memory of Edward Nichols in 1919. There is a single-storey cloister range on the south and east sides of the courtyard, with two four-centred arched openings to each side. Formerly open, these were enclosed with metal glazing in 1978. There are battlements of brick with stone-capped merlons to the parapet. The brickwork is exposed to the back wall of the cloister, with each of the four new rooms being defined by a blind brick arch reflecting the opening to the courtyard. Chamfered timber beams remain, supported on stone corbels.

Grand Staircase: A square compartment under a plasterwork ceiling with an open-well stair of oak. The former Beadle's Office (now a lobby entered via the 1970s entrance in the west elevation) is situated beneath the southern flight, with glazing on two sides. The inner faces of the stair are timber-framed, with plaster infill. The stair has dado panelling with rectangular fields and rich moulding to the wall rail. Stair rails are of double baluster type, carrying a heavy moulded handrail. Newel posts have heraldic finials comprising affronted salamanders. There is a screen at landing level of three depressed-arch openings divided by oak uprights with foliate decoration to the spandrels and pomegranate stops to the inner mouldings. The window to the west side has a central panel of St George and the Dragon.

First Floor

Reception Landing: A rectangular area lit by the large oriel window to the west, with a stained-glass panel showing the royal arms of Edward IV. The plasterwork ceiling reflects the pattern of that over the stair. On the north side is a large stone chimneypiece with a depressed-arch hearth opening, the spandrels with foliage and dogs. The outer border contains foliage decorated with animals (snakes, squirrels, owl, and cockerel, with six birds pecking a fruit bowl to the centre). There is a moulded mantel above, the stonework finished with visible tooling. To the left of chimneypiece, fixed on a built-in pedestal, is a marble statue of Alderman and sometime Lord Mayor William Beckford (1709–70) by JF Moore, given to the Company by his son William Beckford in 1833. This is a variant of the statue by Moore in the Guildhall, erected in 1772. Affixed to the wall is a marble dedication panel recording the 1833 donation. This statue is not shown on Tatchell's 1923 plans, and the junction of the pedestal with the skirting suggests the statue was not installed at the hall's construction. The statue of the poet Sappho to the right of the fireplace, standing on a freestanding pedestal, is of 1854 by Tomasso Solari. This statue is excluded from the listing. A stone arch leads to the corridor to the east.

Corridor (first floor): This has plaster walls, wooden skirting, and decorative plaster ceiling. To the north is a fixed, glazed wooden case, purpose-built to hold an embroidered hearse cloth given in 1515 by John Gyva. Two four-light windows to the north side are now artificially lit, following the erection of extensions. Stained glass shows St Dunstan (patron saint of ironworkers) and St Lawrence, as well as representations of ironworking in the 15th and 17th centuries. Below the windows, a pair of built-in oak display cases, not there in 1925. In the extension to the north-east is the new Master's drawing room, the interior of which is excluded from the listing.

Drawing Room (formerly the 'Card Room and Library'): Large room on south side of the corridor with two pairs of twin-leaf oak doors to either end of the north wall, in Jacobean-style enriched wooden frames. The walls are covered with Morris and Co. 'Bird' pattern woven wool hanging of about 1923 vintage, one of the largest known displays of this material. The plasterwork frieze has repeating panels of winged figure between scrolls, and flowers. The ceiling, with pendants, has twining flowers to the ribs. At the west end, a large stone chimneypiece in Gothick style with a frieze of blank shields over a depressed-arched hearth opening. At the centre of the central window is Isaak Walton's monogram.

Banqueting Hall: The Ironmonger's Hall's largest room, with a deep Minstrels' gallery at the south end, carried on a pair of square oak posts. Walls are lined in panelling up to window-cill height divided by pilasters with a fluted frieze. The panels are carved and painted with the shields of former Masters, beginning with Richard Fleming, first Master after the Company was granted its charter in 1463 (the Masters' coats of arms are sporadic in the early years, but annual from about 1787). Above this, walls are faced in Akoustolith, an artificial stone tile formed of pumice particles bonded with Portland cement, designed to absorb noise, and patented in 1916. At the north end, a centrepiece with pedimented central niche beneath the Company arms. To either side are arched openings for the display of plate. Above, 'the Founder's window,' contains royal arms of the several monarchs who granted charters to the Company, most prominently those of Edward IV. The lower register has roundels of the badges of the Master and Wardens in 1463. The tall oriel window to the east holds a flamboyant display of heraldry, with shields referring to prominent Masters who also served as Lord Mayor (including Sir Robert Geffery 1686, Sir William Beckford 1763 and 1770, etc) beneath the arms of the City of London. The shallow vaulted ceiling is elaborately decorated. The compartments include the royal arms, Company arms, and arms of the City of London. Others contain winged cherubs, salamanders and strapwork ventilation grilles. The gallery, accessed via a stair from the Drawing Room, has an oak front, projecting to the centre, with balusters similar to those of the main staircase. It displays a large royal coat of arms. Wall posts on either side are boldly carved with heads of Pan over pipes and grapes. There are five Waterford crystal chandeliers, the oldest of which is about 1803, and comes from the 18th-century hall. Silver sconces with the company shield are fixed to the pilasters, seven to either side of the hall.

Buttery: Occupying the corner between Banqueting Hall and Drawing Room, and accessed from both, the buttery and servery received some configuration and was comprehensively modernised in 1977–79, with no early installations remaining. Leaded lights with hopper sections, visible from the Fountain Court below, survive. This interior is of lesser interest.

Second Floor

Kitchen ('The Great Kitchen'): Situated at this level, unusually, to ensure that cooking smells were wafted away—a reversal of the normal arrangement of basement kitchens. The large space has received some reconfiguration, with a stair now occupying the scullery, and a bedroom for the Master formed within a larder and servery (accessed via the gallery staircase) to the north. The Pantry retains some original labelled storage. The main kitchen was refitted after a fire in 2008, and its large roof lights have been lost due to the extension of the garret above. This area overall is now of lesser interest. The Master's bedroom is excluded from the listing.

Clerk's Flat (formerly Beadle's Flat): Always plain, this area has been considerably altered. The Members' Lift opens directly into the Living Room. The location of the partition which formed a small lobby is still visible in the woodblock flooring. The passageway to the east of the flat has been narrowed and the former kitchen and scullery to the east do not retain features of note, the scullery now being a bathroom, with an opening cut through to the Master's bedroom. The interior of the Clerk's flat is of lesser interest.

Third Floor

This area is referred to on the 1923 plans as 'The Great Garret', and originally consisted of a cluster of service and store rooms over the entrance range and, over the Banqueting Hall range, a narrow suite of rooms for the Clerk, Master and Warden, accessed by a corridor to the west, with a larger Members' Room (a dormitory/changing room) at the north end. The two sections were linked by a vaulted passageway, running the length of the central range, with a stair rising upwards from the western end. In 1978 the passage made way for a large room covering the central range. The resulting space is therefore without historic features, and is excluded from the listing. The section over the entrance range has been reconfigured, though the former Store Room to the north remains, with a brick chimneypiece and a simple boarded door, matching the lift doors in this area. The section over the Banqueting Hall has also been reconfigured, though two rooms remain to the south. The western wall retains rough-hewn posts framing the windows, which have tiled cills. There are timber cupboards in the roof eaves to either side. Doors and surfaces are new. The interiors of these sections above the western entrance range, and the eastern Banqueting Hall range, are of lesser interest.

Basement

The overall plan of the basement remains, other than in the south-west corner (adjacent to Ferroners' House) and south-east corner, which has a new service entrance. The area retains sturdy flush-panelled doors, and tiled window-cills. Walls are generally painted brickwork and floors painted concrete. Original safe doors survive to the Plate Room, Archives, and former Beadle's Wine Room. The Archives retain simple timber shelving. The wine cellar is to the south-east, in a variation from the 1923 plan, but retains extensive wine bins, with concrete shelving and dividers finished with bull-nosed brick. The Heating Chamber and furnace fuel store are to the north-west, the fuel store served by an inlet in the south wall of the porch. Along the western edge of the building is a row of small rooms. One, originally for house coal, was served by an external plate. This houses a central vacuum cleaning plant, set on a glazed brick platform, made by the British Vacuum Co Ltd. Run by an electric motor, this collected dust via pipes running behind the wall coverings, with inlet points surviving at skirting level on the floors above. The building originally contained such a machine—a novelty in the early 1920s—though possibly sited in the adjoining room.