The History and Antiquities of London, Westminster, Southwark, and Parts Adjacent, vol. 3
Allen, Thomas
1827
Salters' Hall.
The ancient hall of this company, which stood in , was destroyed by fire in the year , as was also the building, in the conflagration of . The present Salters' hall, stands upon the site of the mansion and gardens of the prior of Tortington, which after the dissolution of religions houses, were | |
775 | granted by Henry the to John de Vere, earl of Oxford, and thence-forward obtained the name of Oxford Place. Edward, grandson to John de Vere, dissipated his great estates from motives of pique and indignant feeling, against Cecil, lord Burleigh, whose daughter he had married, and Oxford Place was sold to sir John Hart, who kept his mayoralty here in . The eldest daughter of that gentleman, married sir George Bolles, lord mayor in , and from their descendants the premises were purchased by the Salters' company. All the ancient buildings having suffered in the great fire, the late hall was erected in their stead. It was a small structure of brick, the entrance opening within an arcade of arches, springing from square pillars, fluted. |
This building was pulled down in , and the present elegant structure raised in its stead. | |
The buildings of this hall are plain erections of brick covered with Roman cement. The hall occupies nearly the whole of the western side of the quadrangle; it is embellished with a tetrastyle portico of the Ionic order, imitated from the Erectheum. The columns are crowned with the entablature of the order, which instead of a pediment, is surmounted by an unsightly attic wall, finished with a cornice; the face of the wall is relieved by a pannel between cups (part of the armorial ensignia of the company) enveloped in foliage, and upon the cornice are the arms of the company in stone. The columns are brick covered with Roman cement. The entrance is behind the central intercolumniation; the doorway is lintelled, and surmounted by a cornice; the windows in the upper are in number, behind the portico, and on each side; they are arched, the archivolts springing from an impost cornice which crowns the piers. | |
The interior of this splendid building is approached by a large hall, at the end of which is a small flight of steps, on which are pair of Ionic columns of verd antique, the capitals and plinths of white marble; these support an entablature of the same marble as the shafts, with chaplets of myrtle in white marble; the ends are finished with antae of the Ionic order. On the left side of the hall is the court room, an elegant apartment; from the ceiling depends a magnificent chandelier. The door of this room (as are all the doors of this building) is of the finest Spanish mahogany; the walls are painted of tea-green, with gilt mouldings. On each side of the door are fanciful pilasters sustaining an enriched entablature in green and white. On the opposite side of the hall is another apartment, called the court dining room, similarly fitted up, with the exception of the walls and enrichments being of a salmon colour. Ascending the flight above mentioned is a landing, on the right of which is a small apartment called the election hall: in it are the following | |
776 | portraits, Barnard Hyde, ; Mr. William Robson, ; a curious portrait of Charles the , Mr. Carpentier the painter, all full lengths, and above the mantel-piece is a good portrait of William the , on a white horse. Around this room are disposed the shields of arms of the various members of the company, who have held the office of lord mayor. In this apartment is a copy of the foundation stone.
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On the opposite side of the landing is a small waiting room, in which are plans of the company's estates, &c.; this room is lighted by an oval lanthorn. The grand staircase has flights, and is lighted by a handsome circular lanthorn, from the centre of which depends a chandelier. | |
On the top of this staircase is the large and elegant hall, certainly of the finest rooms in London; it measures feet inches by feet. At each end are colossal columns of scagliola, of the Ionic order, the capitals and bases being white; these support a highly enriched entablature, which runs round the room, being supported by pilasters on each side. The ceiling is coved and pannelled, with gilt mouldings; in the centre is a magnificent dome pannelled in a similar style, and perforated at the crown with a small lanthorn light; front a flower of uncommon elegance in the centre of which, depends a magnificent chandelier; the spandrils are enriched with beautiful mouldings of flowers, &c. The entablature at the south end projects, as do of the pillars, forming a space for a handsome orchestra. At the north end, within a cove, are the companies arms, and on each side are niches, with bronzed figures holding elegant lamps. At each corner of this noble room is also a pendant chandelier. | |
The kitchens which are on the basement, are well furnished with every apparatus connected with modern gastronomy. | |
Whistler's court is so called from Mr. Henry Whistler, who built the parsonage house of St. Swithin, after the great fire. | |
Footnotes: [] Painted by himself in 1760. The above are all the portraits at present in the hall, Mr. Lambert mentions a fine likeness of sir Christopher Wren; and Mr. Brayley, one of Mr. John Ireland, the first member of the company. [] See preceding page |
