Inventory Site Record

Saddlers' Company Royal Charter dates from 1395, by which time the first Saddlers' Hall was built on this site, rebuilt after the Great Fire in 1672. A third building of 1822-33 was destroyed in 1940 and rebuilt by 1958 in Neo-Georgian style. Saddlers' Hall courtyard garden was re-landscaped in 1989 and consists of cobbled roadway with a raised bed planted with shrubs, a number of urns, and a sculpted horse's head. On the south wall is a carved pediment originally from the third Hall and formerly on the Foster Lane entrance.

Site location:

44 Gutter Lane

Postcode:

EC2V 6BR

What 3 Words:

eggs.repay.stars

Type of site:

Private Garden

Borough:

City of London

Open to public?

By appointment only

Opening times:

private, but visible through railings. Visits may be possible by appointment

Special conditions:

Facilities:

Events:

Public transport:

Tube: St Paul's (Central)

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Research updated:

01/06/2010

Last minor changes:

19/07/2023

Please check with the site owner or manager for latest news. www.saddlersco.co.uk

The Royal Charter of the Worshipful Company of Saddlers dates form 1395, and it is one of the oldest Livery companies in the City. It was pre-dated by a Guild of Saddlers, which was established by at least c.1160 but may have existed prior to the Norman Conquest. The Company remains involved in the saddlers trade today and supports British equestrianism. There are references to a Saddlers' Hall and properties in Gutter Lane in 1395. In 1393 a sum of money had been bequeathed to the Saddlers of London by William de Lincolne, one of four Saddlers elected in 1362 to safeguard the Guild's ordnances, whose will stipulated that a common hall be built within 3 years of the bequest. The first Hall was on Westcheape in an area known as The Saddlery between Cheapside and Gutter Lane. It was rebuilt in 1671 after destruction in the Great Fire, but this second Hall was itself destroyed by a fire in 1821. The third Hall, built in 1822-33, was destroyed by bombing in December 1940 and it was rebuilt in 1955-8 in Neo-Georgian style designed by L Sylvester Sullivan. On the south wall of the courtyard is the carved pediment dating from the third Hall, formerly at the Foster Lane entrance. The landscaping of the courtyard consists of cobbled roadway with a raised bed planted with shrubs, a number of urns, and a sculpted horse's head. The site abuts the wall of the church of St Vedast alias Foster (q.v.) . Horse statue and fountain were purchased rather than commissioned, the former is nicknamed 'The General'.

Sources consulted:

Simon Bradley & Nikolaus Pevsner, 'The Buildings of England, London 1: The City of London', 1997 (1999 ed.); K M Oliver, 'Hold Fast Sit Sure: The History of The Worshipful Company of Saddlers of the City of London 1160-1960' (Chichester, 1995); J W Sherwell, 'The Guild of Saddlers of the City of London' (London 1889, revised Chelmsford, 1937, 1956)

Grid ref:

TQ322812 (532220,181270)

Size in hectares:

0.0257

Site ownership:

The Worshipful Company of Saddlers

Site management:

The Worshipful Company of Saddlers

Date(s):

C15th; 1989

Designer(s):

1989 landscaping by James Welch

Listed structures:

None

On National Heritage List for England (NHLE), Parks & Gardens:

No

Registered common or village green on Commons Registration Act 1965:

No

Protected under London Squares Preservation Act 1931:

No

Local Authority Data

The information below is taken from the relevant Local Authority's planning legislation, which was correct at the time of research but may have been amended in the interim. Please check with the Local Authority for latest planning information.

On Local List:

No

In Conservation Area:

No

Tree Preservation Order:

No

Nature Conservation Area:

No

Green Belt:

No

Metropolitan Open Land:

No

Special Policy Area:

No

Other LA designation:

Strategic Viewing Corridor

Saddlers' Hall Garden, June 2010. Photo: S Williams

Click a photo to enlarge.