Description
The Worshipful Company of Tallow Chandlers dates from the C14th and bought the site here in 1476. The present Tallow Chandlers' Hall was built in 1671-3 after an earlier building was destroyed in the Great Fire of 1666. It has a small courtyard garden reached through ornamental iron gates on Dowgate Hill. A small external garden was created in 1978 on the corner of Dowgate Hill and Cannon Street by Past Master and Mrs Deverell Stone in memory of their son Mark.
Practical Information
| Site location | 4 Dowgate Hill |
|---|---|
| Postcode | EC4R 2SH |
| What3Words | ///tight.laws.flip |
| Type of Site | Private Garden |
| Borough | City of London |
| Open to Public | Occasionally |
| Opening Times | private, but some public access on 2 open days p.a. plus organised tours |
| Public Transport | Tube: Cannon Street (District, Circle). Rail: Cannon Street |
| Research Updated | 1 June 2010 |
| Last Updated | 18 October 2026 |
Full description
The Worshipful Company of Tallow Chandlers originated in 1300 when 'oynters' or tallow (animal fat) melters formed a religious fraternity in order to regulate oils, ointments, lubricants and fat-based preservatives and also to manage tallow candle-making. In 1456 the fraternity was granted a coat of arms and in 1462 became a Livery Company. By 1415 tallow candles were being used to light the streets of the City of London and by 1469 the Tallow Chandlers' Company was supplying 60 men to the City Watch to ensure this was carried out. The importance of the Company's role diminished from the C18th with the introduction of materials other than tallow for candles, then the use of gas and subsequently electricity for street lighting. In 1476 the Company purchased the site here from Dame Margaret Alley for £16 13s 4d, probably a merchant's house. The buried walls of the Roman Governor's Palace are reputedly beneath the property. The present Hall was built in 1671-3 after an earlier building was destroyed in the Great Fire of 1666. It is believed to have been designed by the Company's Surveyor, Captain John Caines, under the guidance of Robert Hooke. Although some refurbishment has taken place over the years and some parts were damaged in WWII bombing, the shape and layout of the C17th Hall is little changed. It has a small courtyard reached through ornamental iron gates on Dowgate Hill, which has an olive tree at least 50 years old among other plants, mainly in tubs. In the 1960s, F E Cleary refers to a thriving catalpa tree in the courtyard in his book 'The Flowering City'.
A small external garden was created on the corner of Dowgate Hill and Cannon Street by Past Master and Mrs Deverell Stone in memory of their son Mark, in 1978.
A small external garden was created on the corner of Dowgate Hill and Cannon Street by Past Master and Mrs Deverell Stone in memory of their son Mark, in 1978.
Further Information
| Grid Reference | TQ325808 |
|---|---|
| Size in hectares | 0.0136 |
| Site Ownership | The Worshipful Company of Tallow Chandlers |
| Site Management | The Worshipful Company of Tallow Chandlers |
| Dates | 1476; 1671-73 |
| Listed Structures | LBI and SAM: Tallow Chandlers' Hall |
| 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 | Yes |
| Conservation Area Name | Queen Street |
| Tree Preservation Order | No |
| Nature Conservation Area | No |
| Green Belt | No |
| Metropolitan Open Land | No |
| Special Policy Area | No |
| Other LA Designation | Strategic Viewing Corridor |
Gallery
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Nearby parks and gardens
The Worshipful Company of Skinners were furriers whose first Charter was given in 1327. The site of Skinner's Hall in this location dates from 1409, although rebuilt after the Great Fire and with subsequent alterations. Entered through the Company's fine ceremonial gates on Dowgate Hill, the small Inner Courtyard was originally used for the formation of guild processions. The east elevation of the Banqueting or Great Hall, dating from 1670, faces onto the courtyard, its entrance flanked by embellished pilasters with carved rabbits, whose fur was used by the lower orders in medieval society. The paved courtyard has two C18th water containers planted with flowers, and the stone cloister was added between 1902-16. In 1984-6 a Roof Garden was created above new kitchens, and this is paved, with a fountain, planters and statuary. In addition a terrace at the rear of the Hall also provides outside space.
The Whittington Garden is named after Lord Mayor Richard Whittington, who rebuilt the church of St Michael Paternoster Royal at his own expense in 1409, also founding a college and almshouses. Destroyed in the Great Fire of London in 1666, the church was rebuilt by Wren by 1694. The site of the public garden was on the riverbank in Roman times and later had buildings connected with the fur trade. These were demolished after bomb damage in WWIII and the Corporation of London acquired the site in 1955. The garden was laid out in 1960 with a largely paved area in the west and grass, flower beds and trees in the east. A small fountain was erected in the west section in the late 1960s. The east section is now surrounded by hedge, and remains largely grass, shaded by trees.
There may have been a church dedicated to St Swithin here by the C11th with a churchyard by 1285/6. A late C13th heart-burial slab with engraved figure was discovered during excavations, now in the Museum of London. In 1420 a new and larger church was erected, its tower one of the first expressly built for hanging of bells. Destroyed in the Great Fire in 1666, St Swithin's was rebuilt by Wren in 1677-86 but later demolished following WWII bombing. Among those buried here was Catrin Glyndwr, daughter of Welsh hero Owain Glyndwr. She was captured in 1409 and taken with her children and mother to the Tower of London during her father's failed fight for the freedom of Wales. A memorial to Catrin Glyndwr and the suffering of all women and children in war was erected in the former churchyard, which survives as a raised public garden. In 2010 it has undergone re-landscaping as part of major development to the north.
