ON the night of May 10, 1941, the City of London was the object of the last large-scale air raid of the Blitz. Among the architectural casualties was Carpenters’ Hall, which was gutted when the gas mains on London Wall were ignited by a ‘land mine’. Fortunately, most of the Company’s treasures had been stored for safety in the vaults of the building and survived the blaze. The Victorian hall, designed in an Italian Renaissance style by the architect and liveryman of the Company, William Wilmer Pocock, and begun in 1876, was otherwise left a roofless ruin. It was only the second hall to have stood on this site since the 15th century, its much-adapted medieval predecessor having been damaged by fire in 1849.
The halls of the City Livery Companies suffered badly during the war and more than 30 were seriously damaged or destroyed. Repairing them was complicated by the shortage of materials, the byzantine operations of the War Damage Commission (which paid for war damage less dilapidations) and a licensing system for construction managed by the Ministry of Works. Even so, in some ways, these Livery Company rebuilding projects led the field in the post-war resurgence of London, just as they had done after the Great Fire in 1666.
Carpenters’ Hall is one of the best and most intriguing examples of this generation of buildings, being at once historically informed yet consciously contemporary. It occupies the shell of Pocock’s building, but without attempting to re-create it. This treatment creates striking juxtapositions of old and new and is in contrast to the mainstream of restored Livery Halls, most of which opted for reinstatement or complete reconstruction. No less remarkable, however, is the manner in which Carpenters’ Hall seeks to celebrate in architecture the spirit of the Company’s craft.
Denne historien er fra March 02, 2022-utgaven av Country Life UK.
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Denne historien er fra March 02, 2022-utgaven av Country Life UK.
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Kitchen garden cook - Apples
'Sweet and crisp, apples are the epitome of autumn flavour'
The original Mr Rochester
Three classic houses in North Yorkshire have come to the market; the owner of one inspired Charlotte Brontë to write Jane Eyre
Get it write
Desks, once akin to instruments of torture for scribes, have become cherished repositories of memories and secrets. Matthew Dennison charts their evolution
'Sloes hath ben my food'
A possible paint for the Picts and a definite culprit in tea fraud, the cheek-suckingly sour sloe's spiritual home is indisputably in gin, says John Wright
Souvenirs of greatness
FOR many years, some large boxes have been stored and forgotten in the dark recesses of the garage. Unpacked last week, the contents turned out to be pots: some, perhaps, nearing a century old—dense terracotta, of interesting provenance.
Plants for plants' sake
The garden at Hergest Croft, Herefordshire The home of Edward Banks The Banks family is synonymous with an extraordinary collection of trees and shrubs, many of which are presents from distinguished friends, garnered over two centuries. Be prepared to be amazed, says Charles Quest-Ritson
Capturing the castle
Seventy years after Christian Dior’s last fashion show in Scotland, the brand returned under creative director Maria Grazia Chiuri for a celebratory event honouring local craftsmanship, the beauty of the land and the Auld Alliance, explains Kim Parker
Nature's own cathedral
Our tallest native tree 'most lovely of all', the stately beech creates a shaded environment that few plants can survive. John Lewis-Stempel ventures into the enchanted woods
All that money could buy
A new book explores the lost riches of London's grand houses. Its author, Steven Brindle, looks at the residences of plutocrats built by the nouveaux riches of the late-Victorian and Edwardian ages
In with the old
Diamonds are meant to sparkle in candlelight, but many now gather dust in jewellery boxes. To wear them today, we may need to reimagine them, as Hetty Lintell discovers with her grandmother's jewellery
