Collection: Crosby Moran Hall

A Medieval Masterpiece with a Migratory Past

• Originally built between 1466–1475 by Sir John Crosby, a wealthy merchant and Yorkist knight, the hall was located in Bishopsgate, London.
• In a feat of architectural salvage, the building was moved brick-by-brick in 1910 to its current site on Cheyne Walk, Chelsea, opposite Battersea Bridge. This relocation preserved one of London’s most important secular medieval buildings.

Royal and Intellectual Connections

• Sir Thomas More, the famed philosopher and statesman, leased the hall in 1523–24. His brief residence adds a layer of intellectual gravitas to the site.
• Over the centuries, it has hosted future kings and queens, served as a jail, hospital, and even a restaurant, reflecting its adaptive reuse across eras.

Restoration as a Legacy Act

• In 1988, Sir Christopher Moran acquired the hall and undertook a meticulous restoration, stabilizing the original 15th-century Reigate stone and commissioning Neo-Tudor additions by Walter Godfrey.
• Moran’s vision was not just architectural, it was symbolic. He restored the gardens using Tudor era plants and commissioned heraldic stone carvings that reflect the lineage of all residents since 1466.

A Living Museum of Tudor Craftsmanship

• The hall now houses an extraordinary private collection of Tudor furniture and paintings, curated to evoke the spirit of the 15th and 16th centuries.
• It’s considered “the most important surviving domestic medieval building in London”, according to English Heritage’s Dr. Simon Thurley.

Symbolic Resonance

• The hall’s journey, from civic hub to private residence, mirrors the tension between public memory and private legacy. Its survival and transformation speak to the power of architectural storytelling and ceremonial symbolism.