The Guildhall has been the centre of the local government of the City of London since the 12th century. Major archaeological excavations took place between 1985 and 1999, and evidence from these is combined with historical and architectural analysis to create an integrated history of the Guildhall. Beginning with the first hall of the 12th century, the book describes later halls and precinct buildings from the 14th to the 20th centuries. Good organic survival preserved evidence in an 11th- and 12th-century parish churchyard and for a number of adjacent timber houses. This wide-ranging volume highlights other themes from the medieval and later periods, including evidence for medieval Jewish occupation, the cloth market of Blackwell Hall, inns, craft activity and two parish churches.