Just underneath the city wall, the Merchant Taylors’ Hall appears from the outside to be a 17th Century building. However, underneath this more recent exterior, lies a fine 14th Century building which boasts an impressive mediaeval roof which covers the whole of the hall. The hall is one of only two buildings still remaining which belonged to the mediaeval guilds who controlled trade in the city (the other is the Merchant Adventurer’s Hall) during the middle ages. At one time (1415) it was recorded that there were 57 guilds in the city of York.