Skip to main content

Guildhall

Venue Type & Location

Guildhall

Overview

The medieval guildhall was located on the S side of the marketplace, its ground level open and the upper storey supported on arches.

Performance History

As the seat of civic government and centre for festive occasions, Cambridge's guildhall was probably the venue for most performances by touring entertainers before the mayor and city officials recorded from the early 15th c. to the early 17th c.

Current Status

Demolished.

History of the Venue

1386--7 New guildhall built, replacing an older building.

1782 Demolished and rebuilt by the architect James Essex.

1930s 18th c. guildhall demolished and a new guildhall built.

Record Source

REED Cambridge 1.23--403

Patrons who owned this venue

[No data found.]

Bibliographic Sources

  • Atkinson, Thomas Dinham. Cambridge Described and Illustrated: Being a Short History of the Town and University. London: Macmillan & Co., 1897
  • Lyne, Richard. Plan of Cambridge. London: Richard Lyne, 1574
  • Nelson, Alan H. Early Cambridge theatres: college, university, and town stages, 1464--1720. Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 1994
  • Pevsner, Nikolaus. Cambridgeshire. London: Penguin Books, 1999
  • Roach, J.P.C. The Victoria History of the County of Cambridge and the Isle of Ely. 10 vols. London: Institute of Historical Research, 1938--