Description
The site of the garden of the Brewers' Hall consists of a series of raised beds and seating in an area of pavement. The Brewers' Company is one of the oldest livery companies in the City of London and one of the first Guilds to have its own Hall, which stood on the same site as the present one. By 1422 Brewers' Hall was regularly let out for use to other City Livery Companies, Guilds and other groups including the 'footballpleyers', one of the earliest known references to football. When the Hall was rebuilt in 1960, the site of the garden was taken over by the Corporation of London, since when it has been re-landscaped a number of times. The statue of 'The Gardener' by Karin Jonzen, 1971 was relocated here from Moorgate c.2005.
Practical Information
| Site location | London Wall |
|---|---|
| Postcode | EC2V 7HR |
| What3Words | ///served.panic.verge |
| Type of Site | Public Gardens |
| Borough | City of London |
| Open to Public | Yes |
| Opening Times | unrestricted |
| Public Transport | Tube: Moorgate (Hammersmith & City, Circle, Metropolitan). Rail: Moorgate |
| Research Updated | 1 May 2010 |
| Last Updated | 18 October 2026 |
Full description
The (site of the) garden of the Brewers' Hall consists of a series of raised beds in an area of pavement, with seating. When the Brewers Company Hall was rebuilt in 1960, management of the garden was taken over by the Corporation of London. It was re-landscaped in the mid-1990s and more recently the statue of 'The Gardener' by Karin Jonzen, commissioned by the Corporation in 1971 and formerly sited at London Wall/Moorgate, until this area was re-landscaped in c.2005/6 as part of road improvements. One of the benches bears the following inscription on a brass plaque: DEDICATED TO THE OPPRESSED LABOURERS WHOSE SUFFERING ULTIMATELY RENDERED THIS DISPLAY OF CORPORATE AFFLUENCE POSSIBLE.
The Brewers' Company is one of the oldest livery companies in the City of London and ranks fourteenth in the order of precedence established by an Act of the Court of Aldermen in 1515. The earliest surviving reference to an organised group of brewers in the City of London was in 1292. However, it was not until 1437, when Henry VI granted the brewers the first of the Company's eight royal charters, that they were incorporated as a Livery Company with the title of 'The Wardens and Commonalty of the Mystery of Brewers of the City of London'. Before then, the brewers were known as 'The Gild of Our Lady and St Thomas the Martyr'. The Brewers were one of the first Guilds to have a Hall of their own. The earliest reference to their Hall, which stood on the same site as the present one, occurs in the records of the Chapter of St Paul's Cathedral in 1403. William Porland's memorandum book reveals that by 1422 Brewers' Hall was regularly let out for use by other City Livery Companies, Guilds and other groups including the "footballpleyers", one of the earliest known references to football. Among the other Livery Companies named by Porland are the Armourers, the Girdlers, the Barbers, the Cooks, the Founders and Glaziers.
The first Brewers' Hall, described in the early seventeenth century as 'a fayre house' by the historian John Stow, was destroyed in the Great Fire of London in 1666. A second Hall was built on the same site between 1670 and 1673: in the interim period the Brewers regularly used Cooks' Hall for functions. The costs of the new Hall were met partly by members' subscriptions and partly by pawning virtually all the Company's plate and other treasures which were, alas, never redeemed. Bombing in 1940 destroyed this Hall. The present Hall was completed in 1960, and was designed by Sir Hubert Worthington, R.A.
The Brewers' Company is one of the oldest livery companies in the City of London and ranks fourteenth in the order of precedence established by an Act of the Court of Aldermen in 1515. The earliest surviving reference to an organised group of brewers in the City of London was in 1292. However, it was not until 1437, when Henry VI granted the brewers the first of the Company's eight royal charters, that they were incorporated as a Livery Company with the title of 'The Wardens and Commonalty of the Mystery of Brewers of the City of London'. Before then, the brewers were known as 'The Gild of Our Lady and St Thomas the Martyr'. The Brewers were one of the first Guilds to have a Hall of their own. The earliest reference to their Hall, which stood on the same site as the present one, occurs in the records of the Chapter of St Paul's Cathedral in 1403. William Porland's memorandum book reveals that by 1422 Brewers' Hall was regularly let out for use by other City Livery Companies, Guilds and other groups including the "footballpleyers", one of the earliest known references to football. Among the other Livery Companies named by Porland are the Armourers, the Girdlers, the Barbers, the Cooks, the Founders and Glaziers.
The first Brewers' Hall, described in the early seventeenth century as 'a fayre house' by the historian John Stow, was destroyed in the Great Fire of London in 1666. A second Hall was built on the same site between 1670 and 1673: in the interim period the Brewers regularly used Cooks' Hall for functions. The costs of the new Hall were met partly by members' subscriptions and partly by pawning virtually all the Company's plate and other treasures which were, alas, never redeemed. Bombing in 1940 destroyed this Hall. The present Hall was completed in 1960, and was designed by Sir Hubert Worthington, R.A.
Further Information
| Grid Reference | TQ324815 |
|---|---|
| Site Ownership | City of London Corporation |
| Site Management | Open Spaces Department |
| Dates | c1960s |
| On National Heritage List for England (NHLE), Parks & Gardens | No |
| Registered common or village green on Commons Registration Act 1965 | No |
| Protected under London Squares Preservation Act 1931 | No |
| Local Authority | City of London |
| In Conservation Area | No |
| Tree Preservation Order | No |
| Nature Conservation Area | No |
| Green Belt | No |
| Metropolitan Open Land | No |
Gallery
Please note the Inventory and its content are provided for your general information only and are subject to change. It is your responsibility to check the accuracy.
Nearby parks and gardens
It is probably near here that the English Kings lived prior to the establishment of the Palace at Westminster by Edward the Confessor. On the north side is the Hall of the Brewers' Company, based here since c.1408. Aldermanbury Square was laid out in 1962 following significant war damage in the area as part of the London Wall Plan of 1955. An oval traffic island rather than a square, it was first laid out in a symmetrical arrangement of flower beds, lawn, paving and seating. Re-landscaping took place for the Millennium enabled by the Brewers' Company but in 2006 it was again reconfigured as part of the Street Scene Challenge initiative run by the City of London. It is now a traffic-free public space with tree planting, lighting, seating and a water feature.
This and the Barbican were the worst bombed areas in the City in WW II and as a result were substantially rebuilt post-war for both commercial and residential use. This was part of a scheme drawn up in 1954/5 by the Corporation of London and LCC to create a new business district around the London Wall area. There was provision for gardens and open spaces, and fragments of the old Roman City walls and older buildings also remained amidst the new architecture. This included the ruined tower of St Alphage Church, on the site of the C14th priory church of Elsing Spital. To the north, the former churchyard of St Alphage had already been made into a small public garden by 1872. The garden is bounded to the north by a high section of the old Roman Wall and to the west of the main garden is an extension with a lower paved area. These gardens together with the restored tower were re-landscaped and incorporated into London Wall Place, a commercial scheme by Brookfield, with Make architects.
The Salters' Garden lies between the old Roman City Wall and the new Salters' Hall built here in 1972-76. The Company, founded in 1394, had its first hall in Bread Street, then moved to Oxford House on St Swithin's Lane. It re-located here after the hall was bombed in WWII. The garden was originally laid out and opened in June 1981, but was re-designed in 1995 to commemorate the Company's 600th anniversary. Sunk below road level, the old City Wall forms its southern boundary. It is formally laid out as a knot garden and has three fountains, that to the west end set within a circular pond, and a central decorative urn near the Roman Wall.
