| St Mary's Guildhall | |
|---|---|
 The entrance to St Mary's Hall in Bayley Lane | |
| Location | Coventry, West Midlands |
| Coordinates | 52°24′28″N1°30′28″W / 52.4077°N 1.5078°W Coordinates: 52°24′28″N1°30′28″W / 52.4077°N 1.5078°W |
| Built | 1342 |
Listed Building – Grade I | |
| Designated | 5 February 1955 |
| Reference no. | 1116402 |
  Location of St Mary's Guildhall in West Midlands county | |
St Mary's Hall is a municipal building in Bayley Lane in Coventry, West Midlands, England. It is a Grade I listed building. [1]
The building was built in the Medieval style between 1340 and 1342 and much altered and extended in 1460. [1]
The guildhall originally served as the headquarters of the merchant guild of St Mary, and subsequently of the united guilds of the Holy Trinity, St Mary, St John the Baptist and St Katherine. Following the suppression of the chantries and religious guilds under King Edward VI in 1547, for a time it served as the city's armoury and as its treasury (until 1822), [2] as well as the headquarters for administration for the city council (until the Council House opened in 1920). [3]
In November 1569, following the Catholic Rising of the North, Mary, Queen of Scots was rushed south from Tutbury Castle to Coventry. [4] [5] Elizabeth I sent a letter, instructing the people of Coventry to look after Mary. [6] She suggested that Mary be held somewhere secure such as Coventry Castle. However, by that time the castle was too decayed and Mary was instead first held at the Bull Inn, Smithford Street before being moved to the Mayoress's Parlour in St Mary's Guildhall. Following the defeat of the rebels, Mary was once more sent north to Chatsworth in May 1570. [7]
On 3 April 1604 Princess Elizabeth and her ladies rode from Coombe Abbey to Coventry. She heard a sermon in St Michael's Church and dined in St Mary's Hall. [8]
George Eld, mayor of Coventry (1834–5) was an antiquarian who encouraged appreciation of Coventry's ancient buildings. He initiated the restoration of the fourteenth-century interior of the mayoress's parlour. [9]
In 1861, the artist David Gee painted The Godiva Procession Leaving St Mary's Hall, which is now on display in the Herbert Art Gallery and Museum, Coventry. [10]
Restoration work by the council received the approval of the committee of the Coventry City Guild in 1930. Improvements had included the repair of the door at the north entrance to the crypt and providing glass and grilles in the windows of the fore crypt. Outside the crumbling exterior stonework was stabilized. [11] The building also has a vaulted undercroft which is currently used as a restaurant. [12]
The building retains a collection of royal portraits from the seventeenth to nineteenth centuries, arms and armour, fine stained glass and one of the country's most important tapestries dating from circa 1500. [13] Works of art include a portrait by John Shackleton of King George I, [14] a portrait by Godfrey Kneller of Queen Caroline of Ansbach [15] and a marble statue by William Calder Marshall of Lady Godiva. [16]
Boston Guildhall is a former municipal building in Boston, Lincolnshire. It currently serves as a local museum and also as a venue for civil ceremonies and private functions. It is a Grade I listed building.
This article is about the history of Coventry, a city in the West Midlands, England.
The Guildhall in Leicester, England, is a timber framed building, with the earliest part dating from c. 1390. The Guildhall once acted as the town hall for the city until the current one was commissioned in 1876. It is located in the old walled city, on a street now known as Guildhall Lane. It was used first as the meeting place for the Guild of Corpus Christi and then later for the more formal Corporation of Leicester. The hall was used for many purposes, including council meetings, feasts, as a courtroom, and for theatrical performances; the ultimatum given to the city during English Civil War was discussed here. It is a Grade I listed building, and the surrounding area, also including the Cathedral of St Martin's, is a conservation area, one of three in Leicester.
Oxford Town Hall is a public building in St Aldate's Street in central Oxford, England. It is both the seat of Oxford City Council and a venue for public meetings, entertainment and other events. It is also includes the Museum of Oxford. Although Oxford is a city with its own charter, the building is referred to as the "Town Hall". It is Oxford's third seat of government to have stood on the same site. The present building, completed in 1897, is Grade II* listed.
County Hall is a municipal building in Penrhyn Road, Kingston upon Thames, England. The building, which is the former headquarters of Surrey County Council, is a landmark in Kingston and is a Grade II listed building.
Coventry Castle was a motte and bailey castle in the city of Coventry, England. It was demolished in the late 12th century and St Mary's Guildhall was built on part of the site.
The Merchant Adventurers' Hall is a medieval guildhall in the city of York, England. It is a Grade I listed building.
Northampton Guildhall is a municipal building in St Giles' Square in Northampton, England. It is a Grade II* listed building.
The Old Council House is a building on Corn Street, Bristol, England. It has been designated by English Heritage as a grade II* listed building.
Coventry Cross was an important landmark in the cathedral city of Coventry, England. Standing between Cuckoo Lane and Holy Trinity Church and in the alley known as Trinity Churchyard, it was a modern version of the historic market cross, such as was common in many medieval market towns.
Totnes Guildhall is a 16th-century Tudor historic guildhall, magistrate's court, and prison, in the town of Totnes, south Devon, in southwest England. It is a Grade I listed building.
The Rochester Guildhall is an historic building located in the High Street in Rochester, Kent, England. It is a Grade I listed building.
The Guildhall is a historic building in Bore Street in Lichfield, Staffordshire in the United Kingdom. The guildhall is a Grade II listed building.
Bayley Lane is a historic street in the centre of Coventry and is thought to follow the line of the outer ditch or bailey of the former Coventry Castle, founded by the Earls of Chester between 1088 and 1147.
Drapers' Hall is a historic building in the Cathedral Quarter of Coventry built in 1832 by the Drapers' Company, a large trading guild in Coventry. The present building is believed to the third guildhall on the site.
Winchester Guildhall is a municipal building in the High Street, Winchester, Hampshire. It is a Grade II listed building.
King's Lynn Guildhall, more fully referred to as the Guildhall of the Holy and Undivided Trinity, is a municipal building in King's Lynn, Norfolk. It is a Grade I listed building.
Thaxted Guildhall is a municipal building in Thaxted, Essex, England. It is a Grade I listed building.
Wokingham Town Hall is a municipal building in the Market Place in Wokingham, Berkshire, England. The building, which is the meeting place of Wokingham Town Council, is a Grade II* listed building.
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