The Medieval Hall of the Merchant Taylors
Many Guild Halls were built in York of which only three remain today, the Merchant Taylors being that for the tailoring trades based in the city. At its height there were some 130 master tailors in membership which not only gave an indication of the extent of the tailoring business, much of it for export, but also explains why the Great Hall, at some 18m long and 9m wide, is as large as it is. In this hall the Company held meetings to enforce its control of tailoring standards, to arbitrate on disputes and to celebrate feast days.
Originally the exterior would have been half-timbered (such as the Merchant Adventurers' Hall or St. William's College close by) but this was replaced by brickwork in the early Eighteenth Century probably because the original timbers were failing, or possibly as a fashion statement to modernise the building's appearance.
To one side of the Hall is the Hospital built in 1730 to house four old Tailors - who from the start of the Guild could be men or women. Today this houses the caretaker and beyond is the modern kitchen used to service the many functions that are held in the Hall.
