Daily entries from the 17th century London diary
If you would like to write a summary for this topic, email phil [at] gyford [dot] com
Coordinates: 51°30′57″N 0°05′32″W / 51.5157°N 0.0921°W / 51.5157; -0.0921
The Guildhall is a building in the City of London, off Gresham Street and Basinghall Street, in the wards of Bassishaw and Cheap. It has been used as a town hall for several hundred years, and is still the ceremonial and administrative centre of the City of London (which should not be confused with Greater London, of which it is only a very small part) and its Corporation. The term Guildhall refers both to the whole building and to its main room, which is a medieval style great hall similar to those at many Oxbridge colleges. The Guildhall complex houses the offices of the City of London Corporation and various public facilities. Greater London also has a City Hall.
The nearest London Underground stations are Bank, St Paul's and Moorgate.
Guildhall
“As the home of the Corporation of London, Guildhall has been the centre of City government since the Middle Ages. […] it is the only secular stone structure dating from before 1666 still standing in the City [of London].”
http://www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/leisure_heritage/architectural_heritage/guildhall.htm
The East Crypt of the Guildhall has a portrait of Pepys standing in front of a ship in one of its stained glass windows. You can get a glimpse of it here:
http://www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/leisure_heritage/architectural_heritage/virtual_tour/index.htm#
The tour starts in the Great Hall, so first click on the East Crypt. Then click on the picture to stop it rotating, click on the stained glass window and then press the “+” sign several times to enlarge it. Unfortunately, although the Guildhall itself is open to the public and is free to enter, the East Crypt is usually open only to Groups for guided tours. The one exception is every September when it is open for “Open House Weekend”
Has anyone seen a proper image of this stained glass window anywhere on the internet?
The crypts of the Guildhall are rarely open to the public except for occasional guided tours, but are usually open to the public for one weekend in September, which is when I took thse photographs. The crypts have a number of stained glass windows dedicated to famous Londoners such as Dick Whittington, as well as several dedicated to various of the City Guilds, and there is one set of three that commemorates the life of Pepys.
Here are some of the photographs that I took of it:
Main picture of all three panels
http://www.flickr.com/photos/57351475@N00/52438837/
Middle panel
http://www.flickr.com/photos/57351475@N00/52438841/
Left-hand panel
http://www.flickr.com/photos/57351475@N00/52438842/
Right-hand panel
http://www.flickr.com/photos/57351475@N00/52443243/
A part of the Crypt
http://www.flickr.com/photos/57351475@N00/52443241/
There are also two other pictures showing close-ups of details of the windows that I haven’t linked to, but which are next to these photographs.