On Monday 23 March 2026 a group of our members travelled up to the City of London for a visit to the Tallow Chandlers Hall, opposite Cannon Street Underground Station.

The Tallow Chandlers were the makers of the cheaper candles – using animal fat (tallow) rather than the more expensive bees wax used by the Wax Chandlers. Their hall in the City of London did suffer from the Fire of London (1666) and also suffered some bomb damage in World War 2, but fortunately the bomb that landed failed to explode.

We had a guided tour given by the Beadle of the Hall, and we saw the Court with its many historical documents dating back to the origins of the company, and the dining room and parlour where events are held.

There is an order of precedence in the City Livery Companies, and we were told by our guide that the Tallow Chandlers rank 21 among the current 114 City Livery Companies.

The Tallow Chandlers Hall is one of the roughly 40 livery companies still occupying a hall in the City of London and their premises are available for hire by the other livery companies, or for charity events.

There were many things to see, each one with its own story, and our guide was most helpful in explaining the origins of the historical objects on display.