This highlight of the year will be held in the Tallow Chandlers’ Hall.   The Hall is limited to 95 so get your places for you and your guests reserved as soon possible when bookings are open. Our guest speaker will be confirmed shortly.

The Tallow Chandlers first moved onto Dowgate Hill in July 1476, buying what was probably a merchant’s house from Dame Margaret Alley for £166 13s 4d. That was developed into their first Hall, which served them well until its destruction by fire. All that remains of it are two large beams, which are currently in the cellars under the present Beadle’s office.

Dowgate Hill is popular for Livery Companies as it is the route of the river Walbrook which now runs in a conduit below the street.  The Dyers, Skinners and Tallow Chandlers located here as they needed a plentful supply of water and a ready means of getting rid of their waste to the Thames.  They also created a bit of a smell, hence their location away from the heart of the city, and made use of the river for transporting raw materials and products.

The current Hall was probably designed by the Company’s surveyor, Captain John Caines, under the guidance of the surveyor and polymath Robert Hooke. It was finally complete in 1677, and has been in continuous use since then.

Apart from the loss of the original musician’s gallery, the Hall’s basic size, shape and layout has changed little over the years. They were particularly fortunate during World War II – bomb damage led to some minor repairs and rebuilding, but the Hall itself survived largely unscathed.

Nowadays, the Hall has a well-deserved reputation as one of the most welcoming and well preserved of London’s livery halls.