Representation of the Interior of the Guildhall

This is an impression of the Great Hall at the Guildhall, situated in the City of London.

The occasion is the inauguration dinner of Alderman Sir John Key who became the Lord Mayor of London in 1830. Although King William IV and his consort, Queen Adelaide, were invited to the banquet, as was the custom, Key advised them not to attend due to the likelihood of riots taking place. The Prime Minister at the time, the Duke of Wellington, was against parliamentary reform and unpopular in the City as a consequence. The King and Queen took his advice and were absent from the banquet on 9 November 1830.

Built in 1411, the Great Hall is over 150 feet long and nearly 90 feet high. In this print, rows of tables and flags, decorated with Coats of Arms, decrease in size to lead the eye to the vanishing point, the stained glass Gothic window at the far end of the hall. Windows in the side walls contain the names of previous Mayors, as well as monograms of past monarchs. The first and longest-serving Lord Mayor of London was Henry FitzAilwyn who was Mayor between 1189 and 1213.

The Guildhall was badly damaged by the Great Fire of London in 1666 and by air raids during the Second World War. The stone arched roof of the Great Hall, which was designed in 1953 by Sir Giles Gilbert Scott, is the 5th roof. The Great Hall continues to host the annual Lord Mayor's Banquet and has been the site of both royal and state ceremonies since it was built.