FDA-E.527-2013

Parts

Object number

FDA-E.527-2013

Object type

Identification

Title

The Hall & c. from the Brewhouse Yard

Title Type

assigned by artist

Comments

Following the founding of Eton College by Henry VI in 1440, College Hall was built between 1442 and 1450 as the dining hall for the school’s 70 scholars. Henry VI’s ability to rule declined through the latter years of his reign, which were also marred by the troubled state of the crown's finances. As a result, building work at Eton was completed hastily and economically. The rush to complete College Hall is evident in the bay window. The original ambition for a further row of lights above the blind tracery is clear from the exterior, where we see the start of mullions (vertical bars between panes of glass) for a further tier. This strange curtailed feature, can be seen in this Victorian print of the exterior.