the history of St. John
the Baptist, and a silver image of the saint adorned the screen.
Heraldic arms appeared in the windows, the floor was strewn with rushes,
and silk banners hung from the ceiling. A garden with alleys and a
terrace was at the rear of the hall, and in it stood the treasury, in
which plate and other valuables were stored; and there was a building
called the King's Chamber set apart and well furnished for the reception
of Royal guests, who frequently honoured the company with their
presence. This chamber, called the banqueting hall, was rebuilt in 1593,
and a few years later the space above the ceiling was deemed the most
convenient place for the storage of gunpowder. The great hall was
restored in 1671, and is "old-fashioned, ample, and sumptuous," having
all the characteristics of the fifteenth-century edifice. It is
impossible to describe all the treasures of the company, but we must
mention the two hearse-cloths of Italian fabric of early
sixteenth-century work, some valuable portraits of royalty and of
worthies of the company, two being painted by Sir Godfrey Kneller.
Happily, all the old deeds, charters, and documents were saved at the
Great Fire, and these add greatly to the history of this important
company.

Skinners' Hall was not so fortunate, and a new one was erected, thus
described in 1708: "a noble structure built with fine bricks and richly
furnished, the hall with right wainscot, and the great parlour with
odoriferous cedar." It has been much altered, a new front being added in
1791, and redecorated a hundred years later. The company can boast of
many noble and distinguished members, amongst whom we find Edward III.
and his Queen, the Black Prince, Richard II. and his Queen, Henry IV.,
Henry V., Henry VI., Edward IV., and their Royal consorts.

Haberdashers' Hall is modern, built in 1864 on a site bequeathed to the
company by William Bacon in 1478, but the court room was erected by Wren
after the Great Fire, and has a fine ceiling. Salters' Hall--they have
had no less than five--was finished in 1827, and is very magnificent,
having a large open space in front, which adds greatly to its imposing
appearance. Some pictures were saved at the Great Fire, and there are
two fine paintings of Queen Charlotte and George III. by Sir Joshua
Reynolds. Ironmongers' Hall, spared by the Great Fire, was pulled down
in 1903, and a new hall, we believe, is in course of erection.

[Illustration: SAMU