An exhibition to celebrate the 450th anniversary of the granting of the Company’s Royal Charter Thursday, 24 May 2018 Guildhall Library
Master: Jeff Fuller Upper Warden: Lesley Day Renter Warden: Michel Saminaden Clerk: John Brooks
In the presence of the Lord Mayor, the Right Honourable Charles Bowman
Jeff Fuller Master, 2017-18
An exhibition to celebrate the 450th anniversary of the granting of the Company’s Royal Charter
Foreword from the Master As Master of the Worshipful Company of Tylers and Bricklayers, I am delighted to welcome you to this exhibition of this ancient company’s treasures and history with which we mark the 450th anniversary of the granting of our Royal Charter by Queen Elizabeth I in 1568. The Worshipful Company of Tylers and Bricklayers is fortunate that much of its archive and possessions survived the Great Fire of London in 1666, although, as the charred extract from the minute book of 1666 bears testament, only just so! On display you will find a wide range of artefacts and documents. There is also a section devoted to perhaps our most famous Liveryman, Ben Jonson, and this year also marks the 400th anniversary of his long walk from London to Edinburgh. A full set of acknowledgements can be found at the end of this brochure, but I am extremely grateful to Guildhall Library and the London Metropolitan Archives and all their staff for facilitating this event. Particular thanks are due to Howard Benge, Dr Peter Ross, Past Master Roger Westbrook CMG and Liveryman and Steward Dr David Allen, without whose endeavours this exhibition would not have been possible. I also take this opportunity to extend the Company’s sincere thanks to all who have been involved in creating what I hope you will find an interesting and informative exhibition of our Company – may it flourish, root and branch forever!
1
An exhibition to celebrate the 450th anniversary of the granting of the Company’s Royal Charter
The early years of the Company (1416-1568) The first record relating to the Tylers and Bricklayers’ Company can be found in the City of London Corporation’s Letter Book for 12 September 1416 where it records the swearing in of Thomas White into the office of Master of the “Mistery of Tylers” before the Lord Mayor and Aldermen of the City. This is the first reference to the Master of the Company. A celebration of the 600th anniversary was held in 2016 with a gala concert at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama.
Entrance to Bricklayers’ Hall in Leadenhall Street, also showing the Cock & Hoop inn
The Company’s first hall was located in the Parish of All Hallows London Wall. In 1536 the Company acquired land to build its second, larger, hall on the south side of Leadenhall Street behind the Cock & Hoop tavern. The Company’s earliest document bearing the signature of Sir Thomas Audley, the Lord Chancellor of England, refers to the transfer of the estate to Thomas Alderton, a carpenter, who subsequently sold it to Ellys Dyall, a tiler. This land was officially transferred to the corporate ownership of the Tylers and Bricklayers in 1582. The hall was leased by a Dutch Jewish congregation from 1762 to 1838 who converted it into a synagogue. The hall no longer exists.
It was in this second hall that the Company’s copy of the Geneva, or “Breeches”, Bible of 1589 was chained to a lectern for the swearing of oaths. The Master and Wardens’ accounts of 1641 record: “2 greate bibles one of them haveing a lock and chaine to it”. 2
An exhibition to celebrate the 450th anniversary of the granting of the Company’s Royal Charter
The Company’s Royal Charter is granted (1568) The original Royal Charter of incorporation was granted to the Company by Elizabeth I at Gorehambury House, Hertfordshire, on 13 August 1568 while the Queen was on a royal progress. Gorehambury was the residence of Sir Nicholas Bacon, Lord Keeper of the Great Seal of England, whose name appears on the first page of the Company’s Book of Ordinance. The Company’s copy of the charter is now lost but a near contemporary copy has been transcribed into one of the City of London Corporation’s Letter Books. These books record the administrative business of the Court of Common Council and Court of Aldermen and show the City taking keen interest in matters concerning the livery companies. The following year the Company was granted its Achievement (or Coat) of Arms, which was witnessed and signed by the Garter, Clarenceux and Norroy Kings of Arms on 3 February 1569. The Kings of Arms are the only people with the authority to grant armorial bearings and noble titles. Two years later, a new book of ordinances was created outlining duties, powers and procedures. It was witnessed by Sir Nicholas Elizabeth I, who signed the Bacon, William Marques of Winchester and Robert Catlyn, the Company’s charter in 1568. Lord Chief Justice. Under the terms Portrait by Nicholas Hilliard. of this charter, the authority of the Tylers and Bricklayers’ Company extended to all those working as tilers or bricklayers, both in the City and also within a 15-mile radius. Officers of the Company inspected sites to check that materials and workmanship met the Company’s standards. Those found lacking would be summoned to appear before the Court of Assistants and fined.
3
An exhibition to celebrate the 450th anniversary of the granting of the Company’s Royal Charter
“O rare Ben Jonson” Ben Jonson (1572-1637) is the Company’s greatest son. He was apprenticed to his stepfather, Robert Brett (Master of the Company in 1608-09), as a bricklayer for a time before turning to acting and literature. He was a freeman of the Company, having served his apprenticeship, and paid his first quarterage on St Peter’s Day 1596. Jonson was extremely erratic in the payments of his quarterage and for the years 1602 to 1610 he is absent from the Company’s records. In 1611 he turns up again in the record books to pay all his arrears for the preceding years: 11 shillings and four pence. It was a great delight to the Company to welcome back Jonson as he had now become a notable playwright. To celebrate this return, the Company records “wyne and sugar for Benjamin Jonson: 10 shillings and 8 pence”. This display of generosity indicates Jonson’s rising fame as it made no economic sense because the cost of the celebrations all but cancelled out the arrears Portrait of Ben Jonson after that Jonson had owed to the Abraham van Blyenberch Company. Jonson died in poverty in 1637. He is buried in Poets’ Corner in Westminster Abbey. The story is told that he begged “18 inches of square ground in Westminster Abbey” from Charles I and he is buried standing up. The epitaph on his grave reads: “O rare Ben Jonson”.
4
An exhibition to celebrate the 450th anniversary of the granting of the Company’s Royal Charter
The Company’s glory days: 1568-1666 The Company prospered through the first decades of the 1600s but its standing was severely tested when Charles I created two rival companies in 1636, namely the “Company of Brick and Tyle Makers” and the new Corporation of the Suburbs. Both of these organisations threatened the ancient rights of the Tylers and Bricklayers and the Company objected immediately, petitioning the Privy Council. These objections to the new companies were taken as far as Charles I himself. The Master and his Wardens met the King and the Privy Council at Hampton Court on 30 September 1638 to state their case for their right to oversee and control building in the City of London. A commission was appointed to examine the abuses of the King, one of the commissioners appointed being Sir Inigo Jones. The commission ruled in the favour of the Tylers and Bricklayers. By 1640 the King’s rival companies had collapsed and the King was forced to back down. During this period, the Company had amassed great wealth both financially and in terms of its silver. However, fortunes changed in 1642 when all the livery companies were assembled at Guildhall by the King and asked to contribute towards the cost of The Tylers and Bricklayers’ the Civil War. Much of the Company’s oldest piece of silver: a mace silver was sold for a little over £170 head presented in 1660 by and the money was surrendered to Peter Mills, who was twice the Crown.
Master of the Company
5
An exhibition to celebrate the 450th anniversary of the granting of the Company’s Royal Charter
The Company and the Great Fire The Great Fire of London raged through the City of London in the first week of September 1666. It damaged or destroyed two-thirds of the City, including 52 livery halls, 87 parish churches, St Paul’s Cathedral and over 13,000 houses. This marked a turning point for the Company. Up to this point, it had the monopoly on building in the City, but it was quickly realised that the Company would be unable to cope with the scale of rebuilding that was needed. To try and prevent the use of itinerant bricklayers, the Court met in November 1666 and decided to take on a greater number of apprentices. Bricklayers’ Hall was one of a handful of livery company halls to survive the fire and was used by a number of companies, including the Coopers’ Company. The Worshipful Company of Tylers and Bricklayers was keenly aware of the opportunities that rebuilding London would afford and its craftsmen were instrumental in the rebuilding of the City. They created many significant structures, including the brick cone which supports the dome of Sir Christopher Wren’s newly built St Paul’s Cathedral. The City appointed Peter Mills, who had been twice Master of the Company, as one of the city surveyors to oversee the City’s rebuilding. Mills was the author of a plan for the rebuilding of the City, but this particular plan was not carried out. Nevertheless, he went on to become one of the leading surveyors and architects in 17th-century London.
Painting by Giovanni Antonio Canal (Canaletto) of the London skyline after the City was rebuilt. The Company was instrumental in the rebuilding of St Paul’s Cathedral, whose great dome can be seen on the left-hand side. 6
An exhibition to celebrate the 450th anniversary of the granting of the Company’s Royal Charter
The Company in the 18th century The end of the 17th century saw more difficulties for the Company. Following an attack by Charles II on the legality of livery companies, in April 1684 the Tylers and Bricklayers were forced to surrender their charter to the King. A new, more repressive, charter was issued, but this was short-lived and the old charter was restored in 1687 under James II. Fortunes changed for the Company in the 18th century, and it once again began to prosper. New ordinances were issued in January 1724. These confirmed the ordinances of 1570 and added new responsibilities, particularly regarding the inspection of buildings. The 18th century also saw three liverymen from the Company serve in the office of sheriff for the City of London. Two of them, Sir Samuel Fludyer and Sir William Plomer, went on to become Lord Mayors of London. These events were cause for great celebration and the Company responded with generosity, showing great pride to be associated with them. It is recorded that the Court attended Lord Mayor Plomer when he was sworn into office on 18 November 1781. This was followed by dinner at the Mansion House, where the Clerk records that they had a superb meal at which “the wines were good” and they ate ice cream. It was Sir William Plomer who suggested on 23 April 1777 that liverymen should be issued with silver medals. The current livery medals of the Company are based on this original design. In 1832 the Company decided to build almshouses for “decayed liverymen and their widows”. These were designed by William Grellier, who became Master in 1849. The almshouses were closed in 1928 and later demolished.
Naïve engraving of Georgian bricklayers on a horn beaker presented to the Company by Past Master David Fuller 7
An exhibition to celebrate the 450th anniversary of the granting of the Company’s Royal Charter
The Company in the 19th and 20th centuries During this period, three members of the Company rose to prominence for their work on the design or rebuilding of four cathedrals. Sir Giles Gilbert Scott (1880-1960) was the first recipient of the Company’s gold medal in 1935 for the building of Battersea Power Station, although arguably his greatest achievement was his design for Liverpool Cathedral, created at the age of 21. He also designed the iconic red telephone box in 1924 and was also responsible for the rebuilding of the House of Commons after the Second World War. He was admitted to the Company’s Court of Assistants in 1950, where he remained until his death. Sir Edward Maufe (1883-1974) won the architectural competition for the building of a new cathedral in Guildford in 1932. The first brick was laid in 1938. It is the only brick-built cathedral in England, and was consecrated in 1961. Inside you will find a Company window and commemorative plaque. Maufe had already won the Company’s gold medal for design work at the London Hospital. He also added extensions to Bradford Cathedral, completed in 1963. Maufe became a member of the Court of Assistants in 1950 and was Master of the Company in 1960-61. Thomas Francis Rider (1843-1922) was head of a family company established in London in 1796. During the 1890s, he was responsible for rebuilding the nave of Southwark Cathedral to designs by Sir Arthur Blomfield. In his obituary, The Times described him as a city worthy, having been Chief Commoner of the City and Master of the Company in 1893-94. In 1918 he received the Royal Victorian Order from George V and the award of the Sacred Treasure from the Emperor of Japan. A window designed by Laurence Lee in Southwark Cathedral commemorates his life and work.
The nave of Southwark Cathedral built by Thomas Francis Rider 8
An exhibition to celebrate the 450th anniversary of the granting of the Company’s Royal Charter
The Company in the 21st century The challenges and opportunities of a new century have caused the Tylers and Bricklayers, like so many ancient institutions, to adopt revised priorities. Its main aims are to continue to nurture good fellowship within its membership and to contribute to charities within and outside the construction industry. From this strong base, they will launch their key endeavour: The Encouragement of the Company’s Three Crafts ◼◼ by an increased entry into the crafts achieved by support of training at all levels, by participation in existing competitions for students, through our close links with the Royal Engineers and their London cadet forces and by an outreach programme into schools; and ◼◼ by encouraging the quality of design and workmanship in the crafts through the establishment of Master Craftsman status and through the Company’s Triennial Awards and annual Craft Awards.
The Master, Jeff Fuller, and Liveryman Bob Howard MBE with winners of the Craft Awards in tiling and bricklaying at the Craft Awards luncheon at Trinity House in 2018 9
An exhibition to celebrate the 450th anniversary of the granting of the Company’s Royal Charter
Acknowledgements The Company wishes to thank the following people for their contributions to this exhibition: ◼◼ The Dean and Chapter of Southwark Cathedral ◼◼ Prebendary Jeremy Crossley, St Margaret’s Lothbury ◼◼ The Canon Administrator of Westminster Cathedral ◼◼ Liveryman Clare Banks for the photography of 31 Great James Street, Bloomsbury; New Place, Banstead, Surrey; Newport Street Gallery; Southwark Cathedral; St Margaret’s Lothbury ◼◼ Jordan Bond, TRI Contracting, for photographs of Tottenham Court Road underground station ◼◼ Adam Watrobski for photographs of the Palace of Westminster ◼◼ Amy Burgess, Guildhall Library ◼◼ Howard Doble, Senior Metropolitan Archivist, and the staff at the London Metropolitan Archives ◼◼ Michael O’Sullivan for photography ◼◼ Raphael Whittle for banner design and production ◼◼ Stoyan Dimitrov for programme design and production
Photographs on front cover From left to right: ◼◼ Encaustic Pugin tile from St Stephen’s Hall at the Palace of Westminster. Photograph courtesy of Adam Watrobski.* ◼◼ Miniature of Ben Jonson, the gift of Past Master David Fuller. Photograph courtesy of Guildhall Library. ◼◼ Company window in the guild church of St Margaret’s Lothbury. Photograph courtesy of Liveryman Clare Banks. ◼◼ Restored mosaic at Tottenham Court Road underground station. Photograph courtesy of Jordan Bond, TRI Contracting.* ◼◼ Roof restoration at New Place, Park Road, Banstead, Surrey. Photograph courtesy of Liveryman Clare Banks.* 10
An exhibition to celebrate the 450th anniversary of the granting of the Company’s Royal Charter
Photographs on following three pages Nos 1 and 2: Restoration and recreation of the Augustus Welby Pugin encaustic tiles in St Stephen’s Hall and the Central Lobby at the Palace of Westminster. Photographs courtesy of Adam Watrobski.* No 3: Panel from the Rider window in Southwark Cathedral by the stained‑glass artist and designer Lawrence Lee. Photograph courtesy of Liveryman Clare Banks. No 4: A copy of the 1568 charter granted by Elizabeth I taken from Letter Book Z in the City of London Record Books. Photograph courtesy of the London Metropolitan Archives. No 5: Quintain House, winner of the National Roofing Federation Award. The roof was created by Master Craftsman Andy Rowlands. Photograph courtesy of Jason Insley. No 6: Mosaic ceiling of the English Martyrs’ Chapel in Westminster Cathedral. Photograph courtesy of Gary Bricknell of The Mosaic Restoration Company.* No 7: Guildford Cathedral designed by Sir Edward Maufe, Master 1960-61. Nos 8 and 9: Newport Street Gallery’s spiral staircase, winner of the Company’s Triennial Brick Award 2017. Photographs courtesy of Liveryman Clare Banks.* No 10: Restoration of the Sir Eduardo Paolozzi mosaics at Tottenham Court Road underground station, winner of the Company’s Triennial Award (wall of floor tiling). Photograph courtesy of Jordan Bond, TRI Contracting Ltd.* No 11: Battersea Power Station designed by Sir Giles Gilbert Scott, who was on the Court of Assistants of the Company until his death in 1974. No 12: The Company crest showing an arm holding a brick axe taken from the Montgomery loving cup, a piece of 20th-century silver created by Brian Leslie Fuller. No 13: Restoration of 31 Great James Street, Bloomsbury. Special commendation for brickwork at the 2017 Triennial Awards. Photograph courtesy of Liveryman Clare Banks.* No 14: Detail of an engraving of the Company’s almshouses designed by William Grellier in 1832. * Asterisk indicates winner of or high commendation by the Company at their Triennial Awards ceremony 11
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13 14