Inside London’s Guildhall in 3D
Adding to the illustrious history of London’s world-famous Guildhall, a dedicated team of scanners and historians have created a high-resolution image of this iconic space, providing in words and pictures an account of how London’s history has been made and celebrated.
Background
One of the biggest secular structures in the United Kingdom, London’s Guildhall has been at the heart of the city’s ceremonial and commercial life since medieval times. The current structure is more than 600 years old, its stunning interior having recovered from devastating fire and wartime bombing.
Over the centuries, Guildhall’s Great Hall has hosted numerous important events, from state banquets and royal receptions to trials of key figures from English history such as the tragic Lady Jane Grey and the Gunpowder Plot conspirators. Statues and memorials within the Hall commemorate notable warriors such as Winston Churchill, icon of the Battle of Britain; the Duke of Wellington, victor at the Battle of Waterloo; and Admiral Nelson, the hero of Trafalgar. A wide array of plaques, banners, and stained-glass windows illustrate the influence of the City of London’s guilds and livery companies, emblematic of London’s enduring economic strength.
The commemorative traditions established over centuries persist into the modern era, including the Lord Mayor’s Banquet, where national, City and Royal grandees are joined by world leaders in marking their respect for what the City of London has survived and what it continues to achieve in the worlds of governance, finance, and entrepreneurial innovation.
The project captured with this website tells the story of how the Great Hall has been captured in high-resolution 3D, using drones, photogrammetry, and LIDAR scanning to create a fabulous image with which to enter the history of England. Its monuments and statues, its stained-glass windows, flags and plaques have their own stories, several of these written up briefly to accompany the images and providing a unique glance into the City that has evolved around this iconic space.
Led by Cradle of English in partnership with King’s College London, the University of Cambridge, Arts University Bournemouth, and The Spatial Heritage Review, the project brings together experts in history, 3D scanning, storytelling, and engineering.