This lovely building is St Mary’s Guildhall, located in Coventry, England. Built around 1340, reputedly partly from the stones of the castle previously on the site, the Guildhall is a wonderful example of a medieval building. It also contains some rather fabulous doors.
This is probably one of the newest doors in the building, most likely from the last century. Improvements were done to preserve the building in the 1930s, and this may have been when this door was put in.
And this is probably one of the oldest doors in the building. It’s the door to the 14th century Treasury Chamber, set in what is thought to be an even older tower from the castle that previously stood here. I couldn’t get the best angle of the front of the door, but managed to get a good shot of the back showing the huge timbers and iron bolts – they built things to last in those days.
This is also a door, though a secret one, set into the panelling. Only the tiny keyhole and hinges give it away for what it is.
And this door leads into a rather splendid council chamber – it’s probably 14th or 15th century in date. The guide I spoke to said there were doors of all eras in the building, from the 14th right through to the 20th century.
Finally, this lovely door leads into the Drapers Room – I love the carving and linenfold detail on it, though I do think the metal push panel detracts from the overall look. This room also has a gorgeous stained glass window, which I am adding here as a bonus.
I will probably be doing a further post on the Guildhall, as it’s a fascinating place with a rich history. But for now, this concludes my Thursday Doors entry for this week, part of Norm 2.0’s Thursday Doors Challenge. For more doors, or to add one of your own, head over to Norm’s blog and click the link.
Helen Glynn Jones 
A wonderful mix of periods there 🙂
It really is, Sue – such an interesting building. I will write a proper post about it soon… 🙂
Look forward to that, Helen. The old guildhalls hold a lot of history.
Thanks, Sue – they really do, don’t they? 🙂
Impressive doors!
Thank you! 🙂
Great pictures. Thanks.
Thank you – glad you liked them. It’s such an interesting old place 🙂
Yes, my wife’s family is from Coventry and we keep meaning to visit more.
Oh really? I grew up there, and I do think it a place with so many layers of history. There are a lot of hidden gems there 😀 Hope you get there for a visit soon.
Yes, we want to get back – as usual we just need time!
Love those windows! 😊
The windows are fab too, aren’t they? Maybe I need to do a Friday Windows post 😀 Though people might think it’s a Microsoft thing!
Wonderful batch of doors spanning quite a few centuries AND some lovely stained glass windows all in one post – well done Helen 🙂
Thanks, Norm – I’m really enjoying this Thursday Doors challenge! 🙂
Those ARE some rather fabulous doors. Thanks for sharing them! Love that stained glass as well.
Thank you – it’s a gorgeous old building, isn’t it? A real mix of styles. There’s so much history there I’m going to write at least one more post about it 🙂
So awesome. Love the Treasury Chamber and the “secret” door.
Thanks, Sarah – I think they were my favourites too. The secret door wasn’t marked or anything, I just happened to notice it – I think some other visitors in the room were wondering why I was photographing a blank wall!
What?! No, you can see the hinges and keyhole. Oh, man, that is like a childhood dream of mine. A “secret” door… That and Narnia wardrobes. 🙂
Yes, me too – I love a secret door 🙂 And I still dream of finding Narnia in a wardrobe…
Lovely Pics. Great share.
Thank you 🙂
Beautiful doors. We have nothing so old here in the US, so I’m always drawn to these posts 🙂
Thank you 🙂 While I grew up in the UK, I lived in Canada and then Australia for quite a while, so it’s been nice to rediscover the history now I’m back here 🙂