Ironmongers' Livery Company Hall, situated between the Barbican and the museum of London, London (Photo: Quintin Lake)

Detail of down-pipe at Ironmongers' Hall, Barbican, London (Photo: Quintin Lake)

The crest of the Worshipful Company of Ironmongers above the entrance (Photo: Quintin Lake)

The main banqueting hall in Ironmongers' Hall with with Waterford chandeliers from previous building (Photo: Quintin Lake)

Main Hall of the Jacobean style Ironmongers' Hall, Barbican, London (Photo: Quintin Lake)

Stained Glass in Main Hall of the Ironmongers' Hall, Barbican, London (Photo: Quintin Lake)

One of Livery Companies of the the of City London, the Ironmongers purchased their first hall in Fenchurch Street in 1457. This was rebuilt by Elias Jarman in 1587 and survived the Great Fire but their third hall of 1745 was one of the few buildings to be bombed in the First World War. The present day Ironmongers’ Hall built in 1925 had a close shave during the incendiary raids of the Second World War in December 1940 when heat melted window glass and lead & asphalt on the roof but the occupants managed to save the building with the use of stirrup pumps.

The present hall was constructed in in a Neo-Tudor style by architect Sydney Tatchell on a site previously occupied by tenement houses, pulled down in 1910. Much of the craftwork being done by hand which is of a fantastic quality which prevents the building feeling like a pastiche despite being built around a steel frame. The banqueting hall is of double height with Waterford chandeliers of 1803 from the previous hall. Today the building sits unexpectedly between the museum of London and the Barbican which adds to its charm making the vistor feel they have discovered something hidden

The hall features as a location on the DVD of  Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.

See the Ironmongers’ Hall website for information on hiring the venue.

These photographs were commissioned by Thames & Hudson / View Pictures for an upcoming book on the architecture of the City of London

View more images of Ironmongers’ Hall here

Photography © Quintin Lake, 2010