Building the Merchant Adventurers' Hall
The materials of the Hall
Map showing the location of the materials used to build the Hall
Merchant Adventurers' Hall
Most of the materials used to build the Hall are local. For example, the roof timbers are oak from the Vale of York and the lead in the gutters and drainpipes is from the Pennines.
In 1358 we know that 100 oak trees came from Thorpe Underwood, 14 tons of stone came from Tadcaster and 20,000 bricks were bought from the Carmelite Friars of York.
The original roof was tiled rather than thatched to lower the risk of fire. With so much wood in the Hall a fire would have been a disaster.