Guildhall - Great Hall Roof H&S Works

Description

About the Project The proposed works are comprised of high-level repairs to the Great Hall roof, to include: • Refurbishment of the central lantern and fleche • Isolated repairs on the Collyweston stone slate roof • Repairs and improvements to rainwater discharge • High-level masonry repairs and cleaning, to include clerestories, parapets, turrets, pinnacles and tracery • turrets, pinnacles and tracery • Re-bedding of gable copings with improved details • Installation of a new weathervane on the fleche The Great Hall and the wider Guildhall complex will remain operational throughout the works. The contractor’s compound will be located on the large, paved area immediately north of the Old Library. The Great Hall is enclosed by ambulatories on all sides, which prevents the use of full-height, ground-supported scaffolding. Consequently, scaffolding to the north and south elevations will need to be cradled from parapet level, while access to the east and west gables will require bridging over the ambulatories and bearing onto adjacent structures. An indicative scaffolding design and methodology have been developed and will be included within the tender documentation. The Contractor is anticipated to take possession of the site in early October 2026. Works to the lantern and south elevation of the Great Hall must be completed no later than late October 2027, in advance of the annual Lord Mayor’s Show. About the Great Hall London’s Guildhall has been at the heart of the City’s government for centuries. The site has been a centre of civic administration since at least the 12th century, although there is evidence that a guildhall or meeting place has existed on the site as early as the Saxon period. It was built on the site of a Roman amphitheatre which dates to 70 AD, the remains of which were rediscovered in 1987, during the construction of the adjacent art gallery, and are on public display in the gallery’s purpose-built basement display. The medieval Guildhall was erected between 1411 and 1440 to serve as the administrative and ceremonial centre of the City of London. It was built in Perpendicular Gothic style, to the designs of John Croxton, the master mason responsible for the structure’s grand stonework. After the Great Fire of London (1666) destroyed the roof, Sir Christopher Wren and Robert Hooke oversaw repairs, replacing the fire damaged roof and altering the interior. The next phase of alterations occurred between 1788-91 under the auspices of George Dance the Younger, who redesigned the interior and introduced the building’s striking neoclassical porch. Dance also designed a new façade for the Guildhall Chapel, which was demolished in 1822 to make way for the Mayor’s and City of London Court. In 1866-70 Sir Horace Jones undertook major works to restore many of the building’s lost Gothic elements. The building suffered extensive damage during the Second World War Blitz and restoration work was completed in the 1950s under the direction of Sir Giles Gilbert Scott. Today the Guildhall is a blend of medieval, Georgian, Victorian and post-war architecture, reflecting its long and dynamic history, and the building remains the ceremonial and administrative centre of the City of London Corporation. Please note that this is not a call for competition.