A £7.5 million project to bring modern day facilities and better public access to one of London’s most prestigious historic halls has been given the go ahead by the Stationers’ Livery Company.
Work will begin on Stationers’ Hall in Ave Maria Lane, a Grade 1 listed building adjacent to St Paul’s Cathedral, in November. The hall will reopen in early 2022.
The project, which has been in the planning for five years by the Stationers and Newspaper Makers’ Company, has the approval of Historic England.
The work on the building will provide a second entrance and a lift giving access to the historic Livery Hall and to other public rooms – all of which will now have air cooling – where formal dinners, forums, debates and other events are held very regularly for the Company’s members and for third parties.
Stationers’ Hall was opened in 1673 to replace the Company’s original hall which was destroyed in the Great Fire of London. It has ever since been the venue for many high profile annual events including formal dinners attended by the Queen, other members of the Royal Family and the Lord Mayor of London.
The Society of Editors and the London Press Club regularly stage events at the hall. Last year Sir David Attenborough spoke at the Press Club annual awards there. Digital media forum debates held at the hall have ranged from the future of print to diversity and equal pay and opportunities for women in journalism.
The Stationers’ Company today released the following statement: “We are pleased to announce that the Court of the Stationers’ Company approved the commencement of the Vision 350 project with effect from November 2020. Stationers’ Hall will therefore close for this work at the end of October, with plans to reopen early in 2022.
“This landmark project will transform Stationers’ Hall by making it significantly more accessible, comfortable and safe. These three benefits will have a major impact on the future of our hall, making it truly fit for purpose in the 21st century.”
For further inquiries please contact Deborah Rea on communications@stationers.org
