Guildhall

London's Guildhall art gallery. Although the original building was burned down in an air raid in 1941, the Guildhall still houses many famous works of art. The new gallery displays about two hundred and fifty works at a time, and places great emphasis on temporary collections and the presentation of rare pictures usually kept in storage.

Council hall of the Corporation (governing body) of the City of London, England. The Great Hall of the present building dates from 1954, designed by Giles Gilbert Scott, and is the venue for ceremonial banquets held by the lord mayor of London. A reference library of books, manuscripts, maps, and prints relating to London is housed in a separate building.

An important hall has existed on this site (off Gresham Street, EC2) probably since the 11th century, and an early crypt survives.

The building of 1411-26 stood for centuries, with considerable restorations and additions, until most of it was destroyed in World War II. The new Great Hall contains statues of the mythical giants Gog and Magog. The tradition of holding important public dinners here dates back to 1500.

The original Guildhall Library was established about 1425 under the terms of the will left by Dick Whittington, but ceased to exist in 1550, after the Duke of Somerset seized most of the books. It was reconstituted in 1824. Since 1974, it has been housed in a new west wing of the Guildhall, completed to Scott's designs. An art gallery is used for exhibitions, mostly of paintings and drawings associated with London.