St. Mary's Guildhall in Coventry

St. Mary's Guildhall is one of the finest surviving medieval guildhalls in England, an unexpected treasure in the narrow, winding lanes of Coventry's historic 'Cathedral Quarter', and an oasis of historic charm and tranquillity in the bustling city.

First built in the 1340s for the merchant guild of St. Mary, it was enlarged between 1394 and 1414 and extensively embellished at the end of the fifteenth century. Soon after it was built, it was also adopted as the headquarters for the mayor and city leaders, and the corporation of Coventry remained here until the early twentieth century, when Coventry's present Council House was built.

The building still occupies a central role in the civic calendar, being the venue of choice for high-profile conferences, civic banquets and other ceremonies, as well as a regular filming location and highly regarded venue for weddings and prestigious receptions.

Inside a series of rooms offer an insight into Coventry's past, with collections of early arms and armour, furniture and artworks providing a suitable backdrop to the fascinating stories shared by our knowledgeable guides. The main attraction is the magnificent Great Hall, with its medieval stained glass, a ceiling of carved angels and, dominating an entire wall, one of the rarest and most important tapestries in the country.

 [http://www.stmarysguildhall.co.uk]

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15th century staircase leads  to the magnificence of the medieval Great Hall. Angel musicians grace its timber roof, whilst portraits of past monarchs look down from the high walls. A fine late 15th century stained glass window dominates one wall, bathing the hall in colourful light, and drawing one's attention to the incredible late 15th century tapestry below, one of the rarest and most important examples in the country.
The hall hosted King Henry VI's court during the Wars of the Roses, provided a stage for William Shakespeare and witnessed King James II being showered with custard.
The Great Hall provides a spectacular venue for wedding receptions, large private functions and conferences, its unique ambience providing a wealth of charm and character in one of the finest medieval guildhalls in England.

The Old Council Chamber at St. Mary's Guildhall

Built in 1340-42 as part of the Guildhall's Gatehouse, this fine room actually takes its name from an adjoining chamber, which was leased as a meeting room by the Drapers' Company in the 16th and 17th centuries.
It is known from the City Archives that no less an historical character than Mary Queen of Scots was detained in Coventry for three months in 1569/70. The site of this detention was almost certainly the Guildhall, and the exact location has traditionally been assigned to a small chamber in another part of the Guildhall, but her high status would suggest that the Draper's' Room is a far more likely candidate.
By 1719, the room was known as the 'Mayoress's Parlour', and was being used for the mayoress and 'the better sort of women' to dine apart at public feasts. During the late1940s the room underwent a further change of use, when it was refurnished as a courtroom (the former holding cells still exist in the basement of the Council House).
Much of the present décor dates from the 1830s, when the then mayor, George Eld, initiated a programme of restoration and refurbishment in a Tudor and Jacobean style.
The stained glass window was installed in 1888, replacing an earlier Venetian window, whilst over the fireplace is an equestrian statue of Lady Godiva by William Behnes, who attained a reputation for his high quality portrait busts between 1820 and 1840.

The Ante Room at St. Mary's Guildhall

This distinctive, heavily beamed room was used a central store for Coventry's armour at times of unrest. Several inventories from different periods in history reveal the collections of arms and armour that were stored in The Armoury in readiness for an attack on the city.
Following the attempted invasion of England by the Spanish Armada, in 1589 a nervous city compiled a list to detail what was available should there be another attack, whilst records reveal that large quantities of armour, muskets and polearms were stored here in the 1640s, during the English Civil War.
Surviving pieces of the city's armour, mostly dating from the late 16th and early 17th century, are displayed on the Minstrels' Gallery which overlooks the Great Hall.
A small chamber beyond the Armoury is traditionally said to have been used as a temporary prison for Mary Queen of Scots during the winter of 1569.