The Worshipful Company of Carmen

www.thecarmen.co.uk

Cart Marking 2023 Luncheon
July 2023, Great Hall, Guildhall, City of London

Cart Marking 2022 Luncheon
July 2022, Great Hall, Guildhall, City of London

Cart Marking Luncheon
July 2019, Guildhall, City of London

Cart Marking 2018 Luncheon
July 2018, Great Hall, Guildhall, City of London

The Carmen Silvera Award Luncheon
June 2018, Trinity House, London

Instalation Court Luncheon
October 2017, Stationers' Hall, London

Carol Service Supper
December 2016, The Livery Hall at Guildhall, City of London

Cart Marking Luncheon
July 2016, Guildhall, City of London

Cart Marking Luncheon
July 2015, Guildhall, City of London
following the 2015 Cart Marking Ceremony

Joint Services Dinner
April 2015, Guildhall, City of London

The word 'guildhall' is said to derive from the Anglo-Saxon 'gild' meaning payment, so it was probably a place where citizens would pay their taxes. The present Guildhall was begun in 1411 and, having survived both the Great Fire of London and the Blitz, it is the only secular stone structure dating front before 1666 still standing in the City.

It is likely that at least one earlier guildhall existed on or near the current site. References to a London guildhall are made in a document dating back to 1128 and the current hall's west crypt is thought to be part of a late-13th century building. Remains of a long-lost Roman amphitheatre discovered in 1987 underneath what is now Guildhall Yard indicate that the site of Guildhall was significant as far back as Roman times.

The Great Hall is the third largest civic hall in England, where royalty and state visitors have been entertained down the centuries. It has been the setting for famous state trials, including that of Lady Jane Grey in 1553. The imposing medieval hall has stained glass windows and several monuments to national heroes including Admiral Lord Nelson, the Duke of Wellington and Sir Winston Churchill.

The Old Library building housed the Guildhall library and the Guildhall Museum from 1873 until 1974, when the collections moved to the newly constructed west wing and the Museum of London. Both the Old Library and the adjacent Print Room are now used as reception rooms. Beneath Guildhall lie the largest medieval crypts in London.

Today Guildhall still plays an important role in the City. It provides a venue for state and civic banquets, meetings of the City of London's elected assembly, the Court of Common Council and for the Honorary Freedom of the City ceremony.