Ironmongers' Hall

Best-known for its brutalist concrete bulk, the Barbican has also absorbed some historical treasures. (Whether they have been engulfed or integrated probably depends upon your view of the main structures.)

Among these survivors is Ironmongers' Hall, home of one of the City of London's livery companies. Although the Ironmongers have been around since the fourteenth century, their hall has been replaced several times over the centuries. Indeed, their premises' history is perhaps one of surviving against the odds only to face unexpected threats! 

From 1457, their premises were on Fenchurch Street. They survived the Great Fire of London with nothing more than scorching. However, the next hall there, built in 1745, was damaged by a First World War bombing raid in 1917. The Company moved to Aldersgate Street, building new Tudor-style premises designed by architect Sydney Tatchell.

The current hall was built in the 1920s, as evidenced by a rather fine drainpipe dated 1924 (the building actually opened in 1925). Above the door is the company crest. It includes two lizard/salamander supporters; according to Walter Thornbury, writing in 1878, 'The lizards should properly be salamanders, but the Ironmongers insist on the lizards'. The significance of salamanders is that they were believed in the middle ages to be able to survive fire.

Amazingly, the ironmongers had better luck in the Second World War than the First: although the surrounding buildings were destroyed in an air raid in 1940, Ironmongers' Hall survived. A final threat would come in the 1960s, when compulsory purchase was suggested to make way for the Museum of London. Happily, the museum was built without harming the Hall, and both now coexist within the Barbican complex.