In front of you is Guildhall, the seat of government of the City of London. Since the Middle Ages the City has been a city within the city, with its own mayor, the Lord Mayor, and its own corporation. The great Gothic hall at the end of the yard was built between 1411 and 1440 and, although the fire of 1666 and the bombs of 1940 both destroyed the roof, its medieval walls survived both times.
1Famous trials
The hall also served as a courtroom. Here Lady Jane Grey, the nine-day queen, was tried and condemned to death in 1553, and in 1606 so was Henry Garnet, the Jesuit accused of involvement in the Gunpowder Plot.
2Gladiators beneath your feet
Now look at the ground. The curve of dark stone running across the yard traces the outline of something nobody expected: Londinium's amphitheatre. Museum of London archaeologists discovered it in 1988, during the building of an art gallery. It was first built of timber, around AD 70, and later rebuilt in stone. Fights, executions and animal shows were staged here in front of several thousand spectators.
The remains of the arena are preserved beneath the Guildhall Art Gallery, around six metres below where you're standing.
3What to look for
- The curve of dark paving that traces the ellipse of the arena.
- Guildhall's porch, with the City's coats of arms.
- The tower of St Lawrence Jewry, a Wren church on one side of the yard.
Documented
The hall was built between 1411 and 1440; Lady Jane Grey was tried here in 1553, and the Roman amphitheatre was discovered in 1988.
Sources and credits
City of London Corporation, Guildhall and London's Roman Amphitheatre websites; Nick Bateman, “Gladiators at the Guildhall” (MoLAS, 2000); Historic England, list entry “Guildhall” (Grade I).
Photos:
- Gothic front of London's Guildhall: Diliff, CC BY-SA 3.0.
- Guildhall Yard with St Lawrence Jewry: 3BRBS, CC BY-SA 3.0.
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