The third and present Goldsmiths' Hall in the second half of the 19th century

The second Goldsmiths' Hall c.1814.

The Worshipful Company of Goldsmiths is one of the Livery Companies of the City of London. The Company, which has origins in the twelfth century, received a Royal Charter in 1327. It ranks fifth in the order of precedence of Livery Companies. Its motto is Justitia Virtutem Regina, Latin for Justice and Virtue are Queen. Image File history File links Goldsmith_Hall_-_2nd_half_of_the_19th_century. ... Image File history File links Goldsmith_Hall_-_2nd_half_of_the_19th_century. ... Image File history File links Goldsmiths_Hall. ... Image File history File links Goldsmiths_Hall. ... Livery Companies are trade associations based in the City of London. ... Coat of arms The City of London is a small area in Greater London. ... A Royal Charter is a charter given by a monarch to legitimize an incorporated body, such as a city, company, university or such. ... An order of precedence is a sequential hierarchy of nominal importance of people; it is used by many organizations and governments. ...

Purpose

The Company was originally responsible for hallmarking platinum, gold and silver. (The word hallmarking arises from the fact that precious metals were officially inspected and marked in Goldsmith's Hall, the Company's official home.) Today, the Company is one of the few Livery Companies that continues to carry out its ancient functions. The Company operates the London Assay Office, where objects made of precious metals are tested for purity, and then marked with an official symbol if it passed the necessary tests. At a Trial of the Pyx, they are responsible for checking the validity of British coinage. A hallmark is an official marking made by a trusted party, usually an assay office, on items made of precious metals (platinum, gold and silver) that guarantees a certain purity of the metal. ... General Name, Symbol, Number platinum, Pt, 78 Chemical series transition metals Group, Period, Block 10, 6, d Appearance grayish white Atomic mass 195. ... General Name, Symbol, Number gold, Au, 79 Chemical series transition metals Group, Period, Block 11, 6, d Appearance metallic yellow Atomic mass 196. ... General Name, Symbol, Number silver, Ag, 47 Chemical series transition metals Group, Period, Block 11, 5, d Appearance lustrous white metal Atomic mass 107. ... A gold nugget A precious metal is a rare metallic chemical element of high, durable economic value. ... The Trial of the Pyx is the procedure in the United Kingdom for ensuring that newly-minted coins conform to required standards. ... This article concerns British coinage, the coinage of the United Kingdom. ...

Goldsmiths' Hall

The company's livery hall, Goldsmith's Hall is located at the junction of Foster Lane and Gresham Street, north east of St. Paul's Cathedral. The company has been based in the same location since 1339, and the present hall is the third on the site. Little is known about the first hall. The second hall was built in 1634-36 and restored after the Great Fire of London in 1666. It was eventually demolished in the late 1820s. The third and present hall was designed by Philip Hardwick. In 1941 a bomb exploded inside the south-west corner but the building largely survived and it was restored after the war. Goldsmiths' Hall is not usually open to the public but there are a few open days each year. St Pauls Cathedral is a cathedral on Ludgate Hill, in the City of London in London, and the seat of the Bishop of London. ... London, as it appeared from Bankside, Southwark, During the Great Fire — Derived from a Print of the Period by Visscher The Great Fire of London was a major conflagration that swept through the City of London from September 2 to September 5, 1666, and resulted more or less in the... Philip Hardwick [1792]]-1870) was an architect (son of architect Thomas Hardwick Junior and grandson of Thomas Hardwick Senior) particularly associated with transport-related buildings (eg: railway stations, warehouses) in London and elsewhere. ...

Who's Who in Gold and Silver

In recent years The Goldsmiths' Company has launched a new website, Who's Who in Gold and Silver (http://www.whoswhoingoldandsilver.com), an online directory featuring many of the UK's leading jewellers, silversmiths and art medallists. The website is a useful resource for anybody wishing to commission an artist to create a piece of jewellery or silver.

External link

• The Goldsmiths' Company
• Who's Who in Gold and Silver - Online directory featuring jewellers, silversmiths and art medallists.

• (www.shaw-hardwick.co.uk) - Website in memory of Philip Hardwick and his family.