17 September 2020

£7.5 million redevelopment of Stationers’ Hall to start in November

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 Worshipful Company of Stationers and Newspaper Makers. 

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 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. It is the heart and the home of the Communications and Content Industry and hosts its own, and third-party, events for all sectors of that industry including the paper, print, publishing, packaging, office products, newspaper, broadcasting and online media industries.

The Master of the Stationers’ Company, the Rt Rev Dr Stephen Platten, said: “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.”