St. Mary's Guildhall

Although it blends in well with the buildings surrounding it, St. Mary’s Guildhall was built between 1340 and 1342 on the site of the former Coventry Castle. It hosted the first meeting of the guild of St. Mary in 1342, which is where it gets its present name from. Guilds were merchant fraternities for the city's leading businessmen, which regulated trade in the city, influenced civic government, and promoted moral principles. Throughout the middle ages, the Guildhall acted as the focus of guild business, chiefly as a ceremonial space, meeting place, and banqueting hall. Kings Henry V, VI and VII all were entertained at the hall, and Mary Queen of Scots sought refuge overnight in the guild in the winter of 1569. It was utilised as an Armoury during the English Civil War, and even as a soup kitchen for weavers who had been left destitute by a collapse in their trade in the nineteenth century. It was also used as a Council House where the local government made decisions regularly until the 1800’s, and the venue was used for the annual ‘mayor-making’ ceremony from 1349 until as recently as 2002.
The Guildhall largely survived the devastation of the Coventry Blitz in 1940. Its current role is as a primary venue for civic functions, welcoming visitors from around the world, and hosting weddings and celebrations for the people of Coventry and beyond., continuing its long history of hosting a variety of different purposes.