During World War II the Hall was fortunate to survive the great fire bomb raid on December 29th 1940. The following morning only St. Paul’s Cathedral and Cutlers’ Hall stood virtually unscathed amongst the devastation. Unfortunately, on May 10th 1941 a high explosive bomb demolished the adjoining building and took away the entire north wall of the Hall. However, by 1951 all the damage had been repaired and the Hall came back into full use.
On the outside of the wall facing Warwick Lane will be seen a finely carved terracotta frieze by the Sheffield sculptor Benjamin Creswick (1853-1946). The frieze shows cutlers working at their craft. Creswick was a pupil of John Ruskin and had worked as a grinder in Sheffield. He exhibited frequently at the Royal Academy, but few examples of his work survive. On entering the Hall, one is greeted by a fine full length portrait of John Torr Foulds, Master of the Company in 1801. On the table before him can be seen the Company’s ivory gavel of 1603 and the iron Elephant Alms Box dating from 1624.
The stained glass window on the left of the entrance hall was erected in memory of Captain F. G. Boot, a great benefactor of the Company. It shows Henry V granting the original Charter in 1416 and cutlers working at their trade. The doorway to the left of the picture leads to the Committee Room, panelled in Jacobean oak which came originally from a house in Yarmouth. Also in the entrance hall is a painting of the Feast of the Boar’s Head, depicting the pageant that is enacted annually in December. More...
On the outside of the wall facing Warwick Lane will be seen a finely carved terracotta frieze by the Sheffield sculptor Benjamin Creswick (1853-1946). The frieze shows cutlers working at their craft. Creswick was a pupil of John Ruskin and had worked as a grinder in Sheffield. He exhibited frequently at the Royal Academy, but few examples of his work survive. On entering the Hall, one is greeted by a fine full length portrait of John Torr Foulds, Master of the Company in 1801. On the table before him can be seen the Company’s ivory gavel of 1603 and the iron Elephant Alms Box dating from 1624.
The stained glass window on the left of the entrance hall was erected in memory of Captain F. G. Boot, a great benefactor of the Company. It shows Henry V granting the original Charter in 1416 and cutlers working at their trade. The doorway to the left of the picture leads to the Committee Room, panelled in Jacobean oak which came originally from a house in Yarmouth. Also in the entrance hall is a painting of the Feast of the Boar’s Head, depicting the pageant that is enacted annually in December. More...
