miscellaneous, community/cultural, civic
George Dance the Younger, 1789
Guildhall Yard, EC2V 7HH
Publicly accessible space outside the spectacular Grade I listed medieval civic Guildhall.
Mansion House, Moorgate, Bank, St. Paul's
City Thameslink, Liverpool Street, Cannon Street
8, 21, 25, 43, 100, 141
Step free access. Seating available.
An open space with historic and modern buildings surrounding. Site of the City's ceremonial activities and events.
See the spectacular Grade I listed medieval civic Guildhall.
Located above the remains of London's Roman amphitheatre, the outline of the arena is marked out by black paving stones within the Yard itself.
Access to London's Roman Amphitheatre is via Guildhall Art Gallery. Open daily 10.30am-4pm.
Free combined guided tours on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, see details on the Open House listings "London's Roman Amphitheatre" and "Guildhall Art Gallery".
As the home of the City of London, Guildhall has been the centre of City government since the Middle Ages.
The word 'guildhall' is said to derive from the Anglo-Saxon 'gild' meaning payment, so it was probably a place where citizens would pay their taxes. The present Guildhall was begun in 1411 and, having survived both the Great Fire of London and the Blitz, it is the only secular stone structure dating from before 1666 still standing in the City.
It is likely that at least one earlier guildhall existed on or near the current site. References to a London guildhall are made in a document dating back to 1128 and the current hall's west crypt is thought to be part of a late-13th century building. Remains of a long-lost Roman amphitheatre discovered in 1987 underneath what is now Guildhall Yard indicate that the site of Guildhall was significant as far back as Roman times.
