I have been to York many times but prior to my most recent visit I had never been to The Merchant Adventurers Hall. I had seen the signs for it but I was never too sure what it was and since its tucked away out of sight from the main thoroughfares it's a place I always forget to check out. A friend recently told me that this is a 14th century timber framed building that is the largest building of its type and age in Britain so I figured that this time around I ought to check it out.
Built as a medieval guildhall in 1368 this is probably the oldest surviving building in York, although in an historical city like York there are several other places that also stake this claim. It is not to be confused with the nearby Merchant Taylor's Hall, which was a mistake that I initially made.
The Merchant Adventurers' Hall is tucked away down a short alley but the size of the building and the plot that it occupies came as quite a shock. Located right in the heart of the city centre, where land prices are at a premium it has a surprisingly large garden and there are plenty of grounds that surround it.
The building itself looks lovely from the outside. Constructed of timber and painted black and white like so many of the other medieval buildings in York you can tell it’s a genuine medieval timber building, rather than one of the many Victorian
replicas because the beams are so warped with age in places that the whole building looks twisted and in danger of falling down.
The building was constructed by the Guild of Our Lord Jesus and the Blessed Virgin Mary, of mercers. During the 16th century Queen Elizabeth 1 granted it the status of the Company of Merchant Adventurers of York. The primary function was as a meeting place and this is still its main function today, although it is now open as a museum for visitors when meetings are not taking place. The York Guild of Merchant Adventurers is a charitable trust. They hold the accounts of this hall back to 1432 but their actual organisation dates back to around 1200. In their heyday they were an incredible powerful group of people and still hold high esteem today.
A short of flight of steps leads the visitor into a lobby area with a small reception to the right. There is an admission charge to visit here and this is where the fee is paid. The admission charges are:
Adults- £3.00 Children – £1.00
Once inside the hall there are several directions to take. To the left there are two small rooms and a set of stairs leading to the basement. The basement is where the toilets are located but other that than that there isn't anything else on that level. A lift is available down to this floor and the toilets are equipped for disabled visitors.
The two small rooms to the left of the reception contained glass cabinets that held some original documents relating to the hall. Beyond these rooms there is access to the first floor, which is where the Great Hall is located.
As its name suggests the Great Hall is huge. The timber beams on the roof was the thing that drew my attention in this area and there are some interesting paintings on the walls and also a large fireplace. The Great Hall can be hired out for private occasions and also holds a wedding licence. There is no denying that the Great Hall is the most impressive part of this building but it also the area of the building that has undergone the most changes over the centuries.
On the ground floor is an area known as the undercroft. This large room, like the Great Hall is divided into two halves by the supporting beams from the roof. At the end of this room there is a chapel, which is a large as some small churches that I have visited, and this is certainly not something that I was expecting to find here. This church is still used as a place of worship for the members of the Merchant Adventurers' Guild although it has also been used as a place for the poor or ill to worship during a time when the undercroft was used as a hospital and an almshouse for the poor. The chapel was added in 1482, fifty years after the main building was constructed. In these early days before the reformation it would have been very ornate and lavish and displayed the wealth of the Merchant Adventurers' Guild. When the undercroft was converted to a hospital and almshouse a second entrance was added to the chapel so that the Merchants didn't have to walk past the sick and poor to worship.
There is no denying that the undercroft is an interesting area but if I am to be critical I felt that it was spoiled by the fact that there were lots of rows of cheap looking tables and chairs that reminded of a school classroom. Apparently many of the original furnishings in this area have been removed because it is prone to flooding and has frequently been submerged between several metres of water from the nearby River Foss.
I am glad that I finally visited The Merchant Adventurer's Hall. It is possible to see the whole place within about an hour so the £3 admission price is about right. It's not really somewhere that you could spend the whole day although the gardens are certainly a place where you could chill out for the afternoon. The gardens can be visited for free.
The opening hours are 9am until 5pm (Monday to Thursday) and 9am until 3.30pm (Friday and Saturday). It is closed on Sundays.
The Merchant Adventurers Hall Fossgate York North Yorkshire YO1 9XD
Telephone - 01904 654818
How helpful would this review be to a person making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
exceptional by (2%):
very helpful by (98%):
