Awards’ Ceremony – PictureAwards

n Thursday 23rd March 2006, the Great Hall of Guildhall in the City of London hosted the 13th annual Picture Editors’ Awards. The Awards have become a major event in the Photographic Calendar.

Into the 21st century Guildhall still plays a vital part in the history of the City. This historic building, now with the addition of a modern office complex, is still used as the splendid setting for state and civic banquets in honour of Royalty and World Leaders. It also provides the venue for the meetings of the Corporation’s elected assembly, the Court of Common Council, and for the Honorary Freedom of the City ceremony.

Images from the 13th Awards’ ceremony will appear here shortly.

The Guildhall

For more than eight centuries the Guildhall in the City of London has been a centre of City government. As the seat of the Corporation of London, the local authority for the Square Mile, it has been the hub of City life from the Middle Ages.The word “guildhall” is said to derive from the Anglo-Saxon “gild” meaning payment, so it was probably a place where citizens would pay their taxes. The present Guildhall was begun in 1411 and, remarkably, has survived both the Great Fire of London and the Blitz which eradicated so many of London’s historic buildings. It is the only secular stone structure dating from before 1666 still standing in the City.

Its origins may be even older as it is thought that at least one earlier Guildhall existed on or near the present site. References to a London Guildhall are made in a document dating back to 1128 and the present Hall’s restored west crypt is thought to be part of a late-13th century building. The site of Guildhall was significant even earlier, as indicated by the remains of the long-lost Roman amphitheatre which were discovered in 1987-8 underneath what is now Guildhall Yard. It is possible that Guildhall’s Great Hall lies directly over an area of seating which would have had a special box for important Roman dignitaries watching the entertainment.The part of Guildhall known as the Great Hall is where royalty and state visitors have been entertained down the centuries. As the third largest civic hall in England, it has also been the setting for famous state trials, including that of Lady Jane Grey in 1553. The imposing medieval Hall has stained glass windows and several monuments to national heroes including Admiral Lord Nelson, the Duke of Wellington and Sir Winston Churchill.