Goldsmiths’ Hall Tour

The Society was kindly invited to attend a private tour of the wonderful Goldsmiths’ Hall, one of the greatest Worshipful Company Halls in the city.

We were greeted by the Clerk, Dick Melly and Assistant Clerk,Nick Harland, with a welcome drink of wine in the glorious Drawing Room at the front of the Hall. Having been on the same site since the 1300′s Goldsmiths’ Hall is a marvellous splendour and having drinks in such surroundings was a joy to us all. The Drawing Room and the current Exhibition Room were hit by a bomb in World War II but it has been restored to the high standards that the Goldsmiths’ Company require.

From the Drawing Room Dick Melly showed us around all of the Public Rooms within the building. Seeing the vast array of silverware in the Exhibition Room we were in awe of the historical pieces on show. Even more so when we entered in to the Grand Livery Hall, used in many films including Evita & Sherlock Holmes 2, where we were shown the Gold wares. It was a real privilege as these pieces are not only a worth millions of pounds but are usually only out when Goldsmiths’ Livery events occur. The Library and Courtroom were featured and we returned back to the Drawing Room for more drinks and chat.

The whole event was held in majestic surroundings and we were thoroughly entertained, which  was mainly because of the wonderfully eloquent Dick Melly who held us captivated with his knowledge of Liveries and the history of the Goldsmiths’ Company, who are an extremely charitable, friendly and wealthy Company.

At the end Govind Ratnam,Chairmanof SYF, presented the Clerk with an antique newspaper article, from the 1800’s, about the Hall, which was artistically framed. It was very well received and has been documented in the Goldsmiths’ archives. It was an extremely enjoyable event and a one off. Only a Society like SYF could gain access to places of such interest as Goldsmiths’ Hall and is one of the reasons why being a member is such a valuable experience.