Guildhall

Guildhall has stood at the heart of the City of London's self-government since at least the 12th century, with the present Great Hall dating largely to 1411-1440 under master mason John Croxton. It is one of only a handful of non-ecclesiastical medieval buildings to survive both the Great Fire of London in 1666, when its stone walls and timber roof structure endured despite the roof itself burning, and the Blitz of 1940, which gutted the roof again and led to a 1950s restoration by Sir Giles Gilbert Scott. The hall's hammerbeam-style roof, banners of the City's livery companies, and monuments to figures including Winston Churchill and the Duke of Wellington line the vast medieval space still used for civic ceremonies, the Lord Mayor's banquets, and trials of major fraud cases at Guildhall's own courtroom. Beneath the hall lies London's largest surviving medieval crypt, divided into east and west sections built in the 13th and 15th centuries respectively, supported by Purbeck marble columns. The 18th-century Gothic Revival facade facing Gresham Street was added by George Dance the Younger in 1788-89, layering later taste over the medieval core. Adjoining the hall, the Guildhall Art Gallery displays the City of London's collection of paintings, including Victorian narrative works and the preserved remains of London's Roman amphitheatre, discovered beneath the gallery during 1980s redevelopment and displayed in situ. Visits to the Great Hall are free when the space is not booked for civic functions, while the Art Gallery charges a modest admission fee, with free entry each Friday.