Summary

St. Mary's Hall, a medieval guildhall that was originally built in the mid 14th century as a timber-framed building. This building was later demolished and a new larger, stone-built hall was erected in the early to mid 15th century. The hall is a Grade I listed building.

Monument Type(s):

• GUILDHALL (Built, Earlier Medieval to Later Medieval - 1340 AD to 1460 AD)
• PLAQUE (First World War - 1914 AD to 1918 AD)

Protected Status

• Listed Building (I) 218413: ST MARY'S HALL
• Conservation Area: Hill Top Conservation Area

Full description

<1> DoE, 1974, SP3378NE 1/9, - (-INDEX). SCT539.

Mainly c1340-42, enlarged circa 1460. May stand part on foundations of and incorporate stones from 12th century castle of Earls of Chester. Sandstone, round courtyard. Hall with undercroft and 2 storey gatehouse, kitchen; 3 storeyed Caesar’s Tower rebuilt after bombing during 2WW. Timber framed ranges on E and S sides of courtyard, late 15th century and circa 1400, with stone ground floors. Muniment Room added 1804. Hall circa 1400, is 76’x30’. Tie beam roof, panelled, on curved braces, has carved angels and heraldic bosses. 5 bays, 3 large traceried windows either side. Fine late 15th century glass. Much restored 1824, architect Stedman Whitwell.. AM. Merchant guild of St Mary formed 1340, joined with 3 other guilds to form Holy Trinity Guild 1392.

<2> DoE, 1971, List of Ancient Monuments, - (--MONOGRAPH). SCT540.

<3> Pugh, R. B. (ed), 1969, Victoria County History: A History of the County of Warwickshire - Volume VIII, 8; 141 (--VOLUME). SCT683.

<4> 1998, De-schedule, - (TEXT). SCT541.

Descheduled.

<5> Austin's Monthly Magazine of Instructive and Useful Information, 1932-1939, Extracts from "Austin's Monthly Magazine" of articles written by Mr J.B. Shelton 1932 - 1938, Vol. XXXI No. 375 (--ARTICLE). SCT1615.

Cloth fair transferred here in 1728

<6> Austin's Monthly Magazine of Instructive and Useful Information, 1932-1939, Extracts from "Austin's Monthly Magazine" of articles written by Mr J.B. Shelton 1932 - 1938, Vol. XXX No. 366 (--ARTICLE). SCT1615.

A footpath led through the Sun Tavern entry and through Jesus Hall … In front of the tavern entry were three steps. This was the path or Mayor's walk to St Mary's Hall and was used by the mayor and magistrates when they held their court …

<7> Austin's Monthly Magazine of Instructive and Useful Information, 1932-1939, Extracts from "Austin's Monthly Magazine" of articles written by Mr J.B. Shelton 1932 - 1938, Vol. XXXI no.376 (--ARTICLE). SCT1615.

First part built 1340, enlarged by Guilds of St Mary, Trinity and St John 1394-1414. 'Where a gateway stands leading down the west side of the hall stood a building called the Buttery, where the food of the Guilds was stored. The barge boards from this building were preserved, and used on the house next to it and still standing [1939]'. Caesar's Tower ' which may really have no connection with St. Mary's Hall was built in the 12th century'.

<8> English Heritage, 1995, Tree-Ring Analysis of Oak Timbers from St. Mary's Guildhall, Coventry, West Midlands (---DENDROCHRONOLOGY REPORT). SCT1794.

Dendrochronological analysis of oak timbers from St Mary's Hall has resulted in the production of a felling date range for one part of the building [the armoury] of AD1422 to c AD 1460. A part of the building on a different alignment [kitchen range] has proved difficult to date using the tree-ring techniques. The trees utilised for these different parts of the building are presumed to be of a different date or origin.

<9> Coventry City Council, 1993, Coventry City Centre Trail (TEXT). SCT1983.

Beyond wrought iron gates erected in 1900 and refurbished in 1992, lies St. Mary's Hall, one of the grandest medieval guild halls in the country. It was first built between 1340-42 for the merchant guild of St. Mary, enlarged between 1394-1414 for the united Trinity Guild and extensively altered at the end of the 15th century. The principal room is the magnificent Great Hall at first floor level with a late 14th century timber roof and the Tapestry (c.1500). Below the Great Hall is the largest known vaulted undercroft in the city. Ceasar's Tower is a stone structure, which may have its origins as a building within the outer bailey of Coventry Cathedral.

<10> Monckton, L. and Morris, R.K (eds), 2011, Coventry: Medieval Art, Architecture and Archaeology in the City and its Vicinity, p.164-181 (-PUBLICATION). SCT1980.

Phase 1: The first hall was built in the early 1340s and was likely to have been timber-framed. Deeds of the 1330s and 1340s tell us that there were five cottages on the Bayley Lane frontage facing St. Michael, and buildings on this frontage survived into the 1390s, hiding the hall from the street…Phase 2: This was a prolonged phase beginning about 1392, rebuilding the hall completely and probably continued into the early 1430s. Later in the phase it also involved modifications to the kitchen to provide a new entrance into the reconstructed hall…In 1392 the amalgamation of the four guilds, including St. Mary's, to form the Trinity Guild was accompanied by a major phase of reconstruction to reflect the power and prestige of the newly reorganised town oligarchy…The first hall was demolished and replaced with the present stone structure, either erected over an existing undercroft or over an entirely new one. Integral to this major reconstruction was the removal of the street frontage shops so that the hall could also be lengthened to reach the street and create the new upper end…

<11> Imperial War Museums, UK National Inventory of War Memorials (-INDEX). SCT2069.

A plaque or tablet of wood and stone in the guildhall. It has a shield, lower left, of the City of Coventry surmounted by a painted image of a wild cat. Shield, lower right, of Belgium, decorative gilding flanks wild cat and date. Dentil decoration beneath flat pediment. Tablet mounted onto a board. The inscription reads 'Token of gratitude to the City of Coventry from the Belgian refugees. Anno 1918.

<12> Clark, Norman, 1981, A Tale of Three Spires (TEXT). SCT1465.

<13> M.J. Rees and Company Ltd, 1994, Plans Produced as Part of Photogrammetric Survey (-PHOTOGRAPH). SCT2077.

Plans and elevations produced as part of a photogrammetric survey carried out in 1994.

<14> Morris, Richard K., 1987, St. Mary's Hall and the Medieval Architecture of Coventry: Anniversary Address 1987 (TEXT). SCT2078.

<15> Birmingham and Midland Institute, 1891, Memorials of St. Mary's Hall, Coventry (--MONOGRAPH). SCT2196.

<16> City of Coventry, 1981, St Mary's Hall. A Guide to the Building its History and Contents (--MONOGRAPH). SCT2249.

<17> Peter KJ Sheen RIBA, 2013, St Mary's Guild Hall, Coventry. Investigation of Timber Ceiling. (--BUILDING RECORDING REPORT). SCT2250.

<18> Coventry City Council, 2003, St Mary's Hall Kitchen, Coventry. Conservation Plan. (--PROJECT DESIGN). SCT2251.

<19> Andrew Townsend Architects, 2006, St Mary’s Hall, Coventry. Access Solutions Report. (--BUILDING RECORDING REPORT). SCT2285.

Access Solutions report to ‘produce plans of the area of the Hall involved (the Kitchen end), annotated with observations, and a brief commentary on the Access Plan with respect to practical solutions (where possible)’

Sources and Further Reading

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events

• ECT300 - Tree-Ring Analysis at St. Mary's Guildhall, Bayley Lane
• ECT399 - Observations at Bayley Lane
• ECT690 - Photogrammetric survey of St. Mary's Guildhall, Bayley Lane

Related records

Images

The Medieval St. Mary's Guildhall, Bayley Lane © Coventry City Council

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