John Halle's Hall is a 15th-century late medieval building, a hall house, in Salisbury, England, with later 16th-, 19th- and 20th-century additions. The Hall is a Grade I listed building, the top category, 'of highest significance'. The medieval part of the building is now the foyer of a cinema, with a Victorian mock-Tudor street façade added in 1880–1881, together with the main cinema screening room built in 1931 behind the foyer. Architectural historian Sir Nikolaus Pevsner described this conglomeration as ' ... a great curiosity, a cinema with a grossly overdone timber-framed Tudor façade ..., and behind this façade the substantial and memorable remains of the House of John Hall'.
Early history John Halle was a wealthy and influential Salisbury wool merchant. He was possibly the son of Thomas Halle, who was a member of the Salisbury Corporation from 1436 to 1440. John Halle is recorded as being a member of the Salisbury Common Council in 1446. In 1448 he became an Alderman, and in 1449 Constable of New Street Ward. He was repeatedly elected Mayor of Salisbury, first in 1451, then in 1458, 1460, 1461 and 1465. He died on 18 October 1479. John Halle's Hall stands in the centre of Salisbury on the south side of the road known as New Canal, a little distance south of the central market place. In 1455 he already owned property on the Ditch (New Canal) and in Carternstrete (Catherine Street) to the east. Halle bought the plot of land on which his hall house stands in 1467, and it was built over the period 1470–1483.
Architectural details of the Hall The Hall is a Grade I listed building, the top category, 'of highest significance'. The surviving ground-floor parts of the 15th- and 16th-century building that are open to the public comprise three rooms. From north to south, they are a small room with a "minstrels' gallery", which now serves as the cinema entrance lobby with ticket office; the main hall; and a small lower-ceilinged inner room beyond.
Entrance room with gallery In the 16th century a three-storeyed timber-framed building was added on to the north end of the Hall, on the street now known as New Canal, and has been much altered since. The entrance lobby from the street is two storeys high, with an open gallery with flat cut-out balusters along the south wall at first-floor level. The ceiling is heavily beamed. The wooden structure has been restored, possibly in the 17th century. The third storey has two original west windows. The archway at the south end of the entrance room leading into the Hall is from the restorations of 1834.
The Hall The 15th-century Hall is in "fairly original state". It is two storeys high, with a "splendid" six-bayed open timber roof, with an elaborate arrangement of collar-beams, arched braces, purlins and "delightfully cusped" wind braces. Carved human figure and angel head brackets support the braces and collar-beams. On the east wall there are two large four-light windows and one two-light window; the former window at the south of the Hall has two lower lights omitted to allow the arched door to be inserted as part of the original design. The window at a high level on the west wall is a small two-light window, of 15th-century origin but unlikely to be in its original position. The windows contain much original stained glass, including heraldic insignia and John Halle's merchant's mark. On the east wall is a "splendid" stone fireplace with a frieze of quatrefoils, one of which bears John Halle's merchant's mark. It has been suggested that, although 15th-century in date and bearing Halle's merchant's mark, this fireplace might not be in its original location, as the Hall would have had an open hearth. It is suggested that it may not be in situ and may have come from one of the chambers in the building. In the 19th century this fireplace was used as a model by Augustus Pugin for some of his architectural designs. The archway at the north end of the Hall and the central doorway at the southern end are from 1834; and the two flanking doorways at the south end of the Hall are modern (from the 1930–1931 cinema alterations). On the exterior, the Hall is ashlar-faced on the east side, and built of brick and flint on the west side. The roof has terracotta tiles.
Small inner room This two-storey part of the building also dates from the 15th century. The ground-floor room is only one storey high, and has a ceiling with very heavily moulded beams (considered by the RCHM as re-set). It has two windows on the east wall, described as the RCHM as modern. Steps lead up from this room into the 1930s cinema. The room above it "contains nothing notable".
Historic England listing details "C15 with 1881 imitation timber front, elaborate framework, 3 storeys gabled, ornate carved bargeboards and finial. 8 light lattice casements to both floors, pargetting to side panels, carved beam ends to overhangs. Cinema entrance on ground floor. The remains of the Hall consist of an outer lobby 2 storeys high (the present Cinema entrance lobby) of timber framed structure restored, with an open gallery at 1st floor level and heavily beamed ceiling over 1st floor, this leads into the Hall which is in a fairly original state, of 2 storeys with open timber roof with elaborate cusped bracing pattern to purlins supported on moulded pointed arched beams. The east wall has original tall stone mullioned windows with modern lead lights with one smaller similar window on west wall. From this Hall 2 doors lead into a lower inner room with a heavy moulded beamed ceiling. The exterior of the east front is of ashlar stone with 2 moulded stone mullioned windows with pointed arched cusped heads to light set in rectangular frame of coved moulding, with small arched door to left hand of similar design, with trefoil spandrel ornament. The west side of the Hall is of brick and flint and one small stone mullioned window to left hand with pointed cusped heads to lights. Old tile roof to Hall."
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