Drapers’ Hall

Preserving one of the City’s grandest buildings

Introduction

Drapers’ Hall is at the heart of The Drapers’ Company, one of the City of London’s most distinguished livery companies. The present Drapers’ Hall in Throgmorton Street was once the home of Thomas Cromwell and was forfeited to King Henry VIII when Cromwell was executed in 1540. The Drapers’ Company purchased it from the king in 1543, and this historic Grade II*-listed building has been continuously used and altered over the centuries since.

After starting out as a trade association for wool merchants, the Drapers’ Company has evolved into a philanthropic grant-giving organisation, with a programme of charitable engagements and prestigious events based out of the building.

We have worked with the Drapers’ Company as retained architect for over seven years, leading an ambitious programme of restoration and conservation to ensure the hall remains a thriving building for generations to come.

'Purcell are our retained architectural consultants. We have worked with them on a number of projects now and have found them to be efficient, responsive, attentive and understanding of our needs. This was particularly evident during our most recent major refurbishment project. We commend them to you.'

– Richard Winstanley OBE, Clerk and Chief Executive Officer, The Worshipful Company of Drapers

A detailed masterplan

Our work began with a masterplan study that identified both short and long term priorities. This comprehensive review of the building’s condition and function guided a phased programme of work, balancing heritage integrity with modern operational needs.

The projects ranged from subtle mechanical and electrical upgrades to more substantial works including the restoration of ceremonial spaces, improvements to accessibility, and reinvigoration of support areas such as kitchens, courtyards and storage.

In numbers

70,000

leaves of gold used to repair the gilding

145

litres of paint used in the restoration

30

specialist painters and gilders

The livery yard

Conservation and redecoration of the Livery Hall, the building’s grandest space, notable for its painted ceiling inspired by Inigo Jones’ Banqueting House. Key works included stabilising and conserving the ceiling, replacing the lighting with a more sympathetic scheme, and addressing structural repairs.

Collaborating with Historic England and City of London Conservation Officers, the project involved reinforcing fibrous plaster ceiling wads, repairing the timber roof structure, cleaning and restoring the 1902–1910 Harbert Draper ceiling paintings, repairing and polishing marble and timber finishes, and completing the hall’s redecoration.

Initially planned in three phases during the annual eight-week summer shutdown, Purcell spied an opportunity during the COVID-19 closure period to complete the work in a single phase instead, a considerable cost saving for the client.

A recent phase of our team’s works saw the hall’s internal courtyard cleaned and repaired, undoing bomb damage incurred during WWII.

Turning challenges into opportunity

Part of the success of the project was our ability to adapt to the circumstances and collaborate with the client to seize available opportunities. The works were planned for completion in three phases during the annual eight-week summer shutdown.

However, unable to let the hall during COVID-19 pandemic, we recommended and successfully delivered the scheme in a single phase, making a considerable cost saving for our client.

Opening the building to all

Making historic buildings accessible is a challenge we frequently navigate. At Drapers’ Hall, a lack of step-free access restricted use of the space. We carried out an options appraisal and developed a discreet vertical platform lift, designed to minimise visual impact and preserve historic fabric. The solution has been well received, opening up the building for all users.

Additional interventions included a major services upgrade, modernising lighting, ventilation, and heating while maintaining its historic character and commercial viability.

Accessibility

Accessibility challenges in historic buildings are a common and a design challenge we regularly overcome. We addressed accessibility challenges at Drapers’ Hall by designing an ingenious and discreet vertical platform lift to provide step-free access from the street to the main spaces. The solution minimised visual impact and preserved the historic fabric, allowing universal access and positive feedback.