50 Fenchurch Street
Including a proposal for The Clothworkers' seventh livery hall
The Clothworkers’ Company has been on its existing site since its founding in 1528, when The Fullers’ and The Shearmen united and decided to remain at Shearmen’s Hall on Mincing Lane.
Over the centuries, Clothworkers’ Hall has changed out of opportunity or necessity – such as the destruction of the third hall by The Great Fire of London (1666) and that of the fifth hall by The Blitz (1941). The hall we are all familiar with today is the sixth on this historic site, opened in 1958. It is our home and the scene of fellowship among members. But it is also our place of work, where we fulfil our civic duties to the City of London, manage our extensive assets and strive to meet our commitments to our textiles partners, our military affiliates, our partners in championing good charity governance, and – in particular – to The Clothworkers’ Foundation. For nearly 500 years, generous bequests from Clothworkers and other benefactors, coupled with wise investments by the Court, have enabled The Company to thrive and grow not only its assets, but also its impact through grant-making.
Recently, by way of a letter to members, we announced our plans for the evolution of Clothworkers’ Hall, securing its future here in the City of London and maximising our assets to increase our charitable impact. We have a bold proposal for the development of a new Livery Hall, commercial building and public realm at 50 Fenchurch Street – an island site that currently comprises Clothworkers’ Hall, Minster House, 46-50 Fenchurch Street, 51-54 Fenchurch Street, the former St Olave Parish Hall, the Grade I listed All Hallows Staining Tower and the Grade II Lambe’s Chapel Crypt.
As you will see in the slideshow below, the new commercial development ('50 Fenchurch Street'), will be at the forefront of the City of London’s strategy for a greener, more environmentally sustainable Square Mile. The development team is aiming for a BREEAM Excellent rating, by incorporating the latest technology to minimise energy consumption, with waste reduced and recycled. Vertical greening, to the outside of the commercial tower, will assist in the reduction of urban heat and air pollution. The 35-floor commercial building will not only provide 62,800 sq m (675,000 sq ft) of office and retail space, it will also create a new public realm at level 10, with a roof garden and year-round winter garden. At ground level, we will create 1,500 sq m (16,000 sq ft) of public space to open up the line of sight from Fenchurch Street Station and also improve access to the historic church tower and crypt.
The new Clothworkers’ Hall will be designed with our future needs in mind – including the responsible management of our historic assets, together with the comfort and wellbeing of our staff, members and guests. It is important to all of us that we take the time necessary to plan properly for our seventh hall on this historic site, and we look forward to sharing those plans with you – as they develop – in the months to come.
Members were invited to the Public Exhibition on Wednesday, 20 November (12 noon – 6pm) or Thursday, 21 November (3pm – 7pm) at the former St Olave Parish Hall, Mark Lane, London EC3R 7LQ (near Clothworkers' Hall). The slideshow below was intended for those unable to attend the public exhibition, to ensure all members have access to information regarding our proposal.
Use the backward / forward arrows ( "<" or ">" ) in the bottom-left corner of the slideshow to navigate through the presentation.
FAQs
Where are we in the process?
- As of November 2019, we are communicating our plans to members and key stakeholders in the community, including holding a public exhibition in (20-21 November 2019).
- We hope to submit our application for planning permission by the end of 2019, or early 2020.
When will all of this happen?
- We are in the very early stages of the process, preparing to submit our application for planning permission, and the plans for the commercial tower and livery hall are likely to evolve in the coming months.
- A development is not certain and, if it were to proceed, work on site could not begin before 2022.
- There would be an estimated 10 months of demolition (including archaeological and conservation activities).
- If a development proceeds, it is estimated that the building of a commercial tower and new Livery Hall would take an additional four years.
What will we do whilst the new Livery Hall is in development?
- We are currently carefully considering all our options for continuing The Company’s and The Foundation’s ongoing operations, providing for staff and continuing to run events, etc.
- Our firm commitment is to continue offering members a programme of events (as close as possible to our normal programme), but in an alternative venue whilst we demolish and rebuild our own Livery Hall.
- However, we cannot make any concrete plans until we are certain the project can move forward successfully.
- We will use the e-newsletter and the Clothworker Magazine to communicate our plans, as they evolve and become finalized, throughout the process.