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The Great Hall windows were completely renewed in 1958 after war damage and the rebuilding of the Hall itself. They show the coats of arms of important members of the Company from the Middle Ages onwards. This includes the arms of many Kings of England and Prime Ministers who were Honorary Freemen, and of Company members of the late medieval and early modern periods who established schools.
The Great Hall was originally built in the early 14th century, and has had numerous glazing schemes over the subsequent centuries. However the window openings on the north and south sides remain much as they were in the Middle Ages, except that the windows originally came down almost to ground level. Underneath the modern panelling, medieval stonework and Tudor brick make up most of the walls as far as the ceiling.
This programme of windows is the work of Francis Howard Spear ARCA MGP (1902-79). He was a prolific designer, responsible for stained glass in over 130 locations, including six cathedrals. He had trained at the LCC Central School of Arts and Crafts and the Royal College of Art. Demand for replacement windows after 1945 was so great that he employed four assistants.
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Spear’s windows were lucky to survive the Bishopsgate bomb on 24th April 1993. The IRA detonated one ton of home-made explosive, hidden under tarmac, in a stolen Iveco tipper truck left near the junction with Wormwood Street and Camomile Street. The blast caused huge damage to a wide area. Fortunately the damage to the Great Hall windows was relatively minor and repairable. A lump of metal from the tipper truck, possibly part of a wheel arch, was found on the Great Hall carpet after the explosion and is now preserved in the Muniment Room.
