Carpenters' Hall

Carpenters' Hall is a livery hall with commercial office space, built between 1876 and 1880 by William Willmer Pocock. The building was severely damaged during the Second World War and was subsequently altered and wholly rebuilt behind the retained façade between 1955 and 1960 by Whinney, Son & Austen Hall. The interior of the Banqueting Hall was designed by Clifford Wearden.

Materials and Construction

The frontage and return elevations facing Throgmorton Avenue are built of Portland stone. Behind the stone façade is a steel-framed structure with concrete slabs. The upper floors, rear walls and lift engine house are faced in pale yellow brick. Cast iron gates close Throgmorton Avenue. The windows are metal-framed and the roof is covered with lead.

Plan

The building is approximately square, with four floors and a basement. The hall faces north onto London Wall, where a five-bay arcade at ground level leads to what was originally the staff entrance and is now the normal day entrance. The return elevation faces west onto Throgmorton Avenue and is also of five bays. The central three bays are occupied by a first-floor bridge that runs over the gated street, connecting the hall to the eastern flank of 2 Throgmorton Avenue. The ceremonial entrance is located at ground level beneath the bridge. The principal and ancillary (or tenants') stairs are positioned on the east side of the building.

The ground floor contains the central entrance hall, the Court Room to the south-west, a cloakroom, porter's room (now used as a display space) and WCs. The first floor is dominated by the Banqueting Hall, which runs east-west and extends into the bridge, with a gallery at the east end. To its north, looking onto London Wall, is the Reception Room, with the Master's Study in the north-east corner. The Reception Room is linked to the principal staircase by the Reception Landing, which is a large room with two double doors leading into the Banqueting Hall. A first-floor mezzanine on the south side of the building contains the Court Luncheon Room.

The second floor is largely occupied by offices and meeting rooms, with the Master's quarters located in the north-east corner. Another mezzanine floor on the north side of the building, at second floor level, contains the Court Drawing Room at the western end, a pair of bedrooms, and a records store at the east end accessed from the tenant's staircase. The third floor contains leased office space while the fourth floor has more offices along the north front and the Beadle's flat to the rear. There is a tank room and a lift motor room on the roof.

Exterior

The north front facing London Wall is of five bays and three storeys in height, with a fourth storey largely concealed behind the parapet. The ground floor now comprises an open arcade, with arches over each opening set between tall piers which act as pedestals for the giant Corinthian columns above. The keystone to each arch is decorated with the head of a celebrated (mainly British) architect, identified underneath. These range from William of Wykeham to Sir Charles Barry and were carved by Charles Bacon in 1875, though some were re-cut by John Skeaping ARA during the rebuilding. The sides and voussoirs of each arch are of channelled rustication; the blocks to the end piers are vermiculated.

The first and second floors are divided by engaged Corinthian columns. The first-floor windows are set within aedicules, with alternating triangular and segmental pediments carried on engaged Ionic columns. The aprons under each window are absent to make the windows longer, but the cornices are present, running across the glazing. The second-floor windows are rectangular, set within plain surrounds: these are 1950s insertions, part of the alterations required in the heightening of the building. The balustrade stands on a full entablature; the urns which stood on the pedestals prior to the Blitz were not reinstated. Behind, not visible from the street, is a brick-faced rooftop floor.

The western elevation is of similar design, although largely blocked by the bridge. The formal entrance at ground level below the bridge is flanked by inscription panels: that on the left repeats the 1876 foundation stone inscription, while that on the right relates to the foundation stone laid on 23 July 1956, and gives the name of the Master, Wardens, Clerk, architect and builder. The double doors are reached via steps: each is coffered, with circular bosses of different native woods carved by James Woodford RA (1893-1976). The lintel above is inscribed 'SURREXIT DOMUS / MCMLIX' ('The house has arisen / 1959'). Ground floor windows are set within recessed surrounds.

Adjoining the main building at the northern end of Throgmorton Avenue is a wrought iron screen with strapwork tops and double central gates bearing the Company arms. Two side gates bear gilded addorsed Cs within the strapwork. Lanterns suspended from scrolled brackets rise from the posts either side of the main gates. The bridge is of Portland stone to match the surrounding buildings, but is of much plainer design, with horizontal bands at floor level and a simple coping above. The tripartite windows to either side have tall metal-framed glazing, set within a plain sunken surround. The soffit of the bridge, over the approach to the formal entrance, is coffered.

Interior: Ground Floor

The ground-floor entrance hall is reached from inner double doors, which have an etched glass transom bearing the Company arms, via a short flight of steps from a lobby with marble floor tiles. The entrance hall is panelled in oak to curtain-rail height. Above the panelling are a sequence of painted roundels by Jean Clark (1902-1999) of around 1960 showing scenes from the Company's history. Three (of originally four) recovered panels with wall paintings of 1562, showing biblical themes, from the original hall are set in frames incorporated in the panelling on the south side of the entrance hall.

The Court Room is entered via a pair of double doors at its eastern end. It is lined in burr oak and burr walnut panelling, with doors, cornice and dado of Australian walnut. Three Elizabethan carved panels (two dated 1579) from a former parlour are incorporated into the east end, displaying the Company's arms within a strapwork cartouche (with trophies of carpenters' tools), flanked by rectangular tablets listing the names of the Master (Thomas Harper) and the Wardens.

On the north side of the entrance hall are a cloakroom with the original coat racks and counter, and the original porter's room, now a display space with later display cases. Incorporated in the panelling facing the cloakroom is a Coade stone plaque of 1791 bearing the Company Coat of Arms in relief. An aedicular war memorial of carved oak (designed by Sir Banister Fletcher) with an open pediment containing a cartouche with the Company arms, is located on the south wall of the Entrance Hall, near the stair.

Interior: Principal Staircase

The main staircase at the east end of the entrance hall, rising to the first floor, is set in an oval compartment. It is lined in teak, with steps of oak and a handrail, carried on a scrolled wrought iron balustrade, of mahogany. At the foot of the stair is a newel post with a crystal ball finial. On the first quarter-landing is a gilded alcove containing a bronze statuette of 1927 by Charles Hartwell (1873-1951), 'The Awakening'. The south-facing half-landing window contains stained glass of 1970 by Lawrence Lee (1909-2011), showing the arms of Albert Evan Bernays, Master in 1941-42, with decorative flourishes of oak leaves; above is a neo-Georgian coffered ceiling with skylight.

Interior: First Floor

The principal room on the first floor is the Banqueting Hall, which runs east to west into the bridge. Designed by Clifford Wearden, the room is lined in alternating plain panels of elm and linen-fold panel effect strips of mahogany, beneath a blue-painted frieze and ceiling. The west end is the high end, and more elaborate. The recessed centrepiece is a sculpture in teak by Sir Charles Wheeler (1892-1974) entitled 'The Tree of Life': this was installed in 1966 and is set against a decorative marquetry panel depicting a tree trunk, leaves and acorns designed by the sculptor. Below is a built-in tabernacle (also by Wheeler) for displaying plate, decorated below with five relief panels depicting carpenters' tools. The coffered suspended ceiling comprises an openwork cedar construction, designed around a pattern of faceted octagons, and open squares which reveal the true ceiling above.

The west end is lit with two tripartite windows on either side which mark the centre of the bridge: these now contain stained glass of 1988 and 1991 by Alfred Fisher (born 1944) showing the Company arms within a modern abstract setting; the plastered splayed reveals are enriched with incised carving by James Woodford RA (1893-1976), showing a variety of historical and ceremonial scenes, dated 1959. The east end comprises a minstrels' gallery over the main entrance doors, faced in fluted mahogany and with projecting balconies along its front. These have brass handrails. The room has a floor of teak from Zimbabwe.

The Reception Room, remodelled in 1995, runs parallel to the Banqueting Hall along the north front. It is neo-Georgian in character, with fielded mahogany panelling to dado level and coffered plasterwork to the edge of the ceiling above a cornice and frieze. At the north end is an armorial stained glass window, bearing the arms of different Masters, by Jean Clark. It is contiguous with the Reception Landing, separated by a screen of paired fluted Doric columns of painted plaster added in 1995. The Reception Landing has a double entrance to the Banqueting Hall with Classical surrounds with carved foliate transoms and another armorial stained glass window onto the light-well. In the north-east corner of the floor is the former Master's room with oak fitted bookshelves and dado panelling.

The Court Luncheon Room on the first-floor mezzanine level to the south of the Banqueting Hall, above the serving area and artistes' room, is neo-Georgian in style with a coved ceiling of modern date, light box along the north wall, chandelier, mahogany dado-rail and skirting, and pair of Tuscan columns to a bay at the east end.

Interior: Upper Floors and Basement

Above first-floor level, the concrete south-eastern staircase has hardwood treads, metal balusters, wide timber balustrade panels and mahogany handrails. The rooms above the first floor comprise either administrative areas, accommodation or spaces designed to be let out for commercial office use. These are generally plain with no features of note and are not of special interest. The tenants' staircase in the north-east of the building has terrazzo steps and a plain metal balustrade and is not of special interest. The basement contains a kitchen, strong-room and wine cellar. These are not of special interest.