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Merchant Taylors' Hall, York
Merchant Taylors' Hall York.jpg
The front of the Merchant Taylors' Hall showing the seventeenth-century red-brick cladding
General information
Type Medieval Guildhall
Location York, England
Coordinates 53°57′43″N 1°04′38″W / 53.961914°N 1.077184°W / 53.961914; -1.077184
Listed Building – Grade I
Designated 14 June 1954
Reference no. 1259571

The Merchant Taylors' Hall in York, England, is a medieval guildhall near the city wall in the Aldwark area of the city.

History

Merchant Taylor's Hall interior
Interior of the main hall

The hall was built by the Fraternity of St John the Baptist (an organisation connected to the Taylors' Guild) in c.1415.

It received a new cladding in the seventeenth century. The main hall is 60 by 30 feet (18.3 by 9.1 m), with 30 feet (9.1 m) ceilings. The adjoining Counsel House (sometimes called the Counting House) contains two stained glass windows by York glass painter Henry Gyles. The south window shows Queen Anne, and was made to commemorate her accession to the throne while the side window depicts the coat of arms of the London Company of Merchant Taylors.

In the eighteenth century, the building was used for banquets and entertainment, including rope dancing, tumbling and a pantomime called "The Force of Magick or The Birth of Harlequin".

The building is still used by the Guild of Merchant Taylors of York, and is available to hire. It is a short walk from this Hall to the Merchant Adventurers' Hall, the hall (originally) of the Mercers' Guild in York.

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