One of the first things that was needed when the guilds started were places in which they could meet. From the 1440s the Barbers had their Hall on the edge of the City in the area of the old Roman Barbican. It was built in Monkwell Street and consisted of a single room with domestic offices for the serving of dinners. In 1605 it was decided to add a Court Room which was completed in 1607. In 1615, after serious structural faults were found, much restoration was carried out and in 1635 the Court agreed that an Anatomical Theatre for lectures and demonstrations should be built. This was designed by Inigo Jones and followed the pattern of a lecture theatre in Padisa; at about the same time a new Great Parlour was built but unfortunately most of the property was burnt in the great fire of 1666 with only the Anatomy Theatre being saved. The destroyed buildings were replaced at a cost of £4292 and remained substantially the same until 1784 when the Anatomy Theatre was demolished to make way for housing. In 1869 the buildings were further reduced so that the Company only retained the Court Room which was built into Bastion 13 of the City wall and was regarded as one of the best small halls of the City companies. On the night of Sunday 29th December 1940 the Hall was destroyed in an air raid although the bulk of the Company s more valuable goods and property were saved by having been taken to a secure place when war broke out.

After an interval of nearly 30 years a new hall, seen above, was built and opened by Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother in May 1969. A major reason for the delay was the need to come to an agreement with the City about the site. It was thought necessary that the City wall should be free from obstruction and thus an agreement was made for the new hall to be some thirty feet further east than its predecessor. The shape of the old being preserved in the Great Hall by the bow built on the west side. The new building was much larger than its predecessor and incorporates cellars and domestic offices in addition to the Great Hall, a Court Room, a Library, the Charter Room, a Reception Room and quarters for the Master. The whole is built into a small office block, which provides a useful income for the Company. The delay in rebuilding allowed the Company to demand a much higher specification than would have been possible if the rebuilding had taken place twenty years earlier. The Hall is regularly used by other Companies that do not have their own accommodation.  To celebrate the Millennium a stained glass window has been installed, the work of Liveryman  William Stewart Shand.  Click on the picture at the top left hand corner.

The Holbein

This picture, on wood panels by Hans Holbein the Younger, hangs in the hall. It shows the king handing a document to his Serjeant-Surgeon, Thomas Vicary, in the presence of other important medical men and barbers. Although repainted in places, and altered with later additions, it is recognized as a fine picture, and has been loaned on occasion to the National Gallery.