The Worshipful Company of Tallow Chandlers

Walking around the medieval streets of ancient London near my office at lunchtimes has given me the chance to come across lots of old buildings with crests or shields outside their doors and occasionally very dressed up people going inside. Some of them look like gentleman's clubs, where one might make a wager to travel around the world in 80 days. I came across one such place called Tallow Chandlers Hall, which sounded vaguely Freemason-y, and which upon googling, turns out to be just such a shadowy mysterious place. Or maybe just somewhere for rich people to dress up in old costumes. The hall belongs to the Worshipful Company of Tallow Chandlers, one of many London guilds surviving from the middle ages. What did they do? - well they chandled tallow of course! ("Chandling" being I guess the art of turning fat into candles). Not to be confused with those completely different Shelbyville-style hangers on, the Wax Chandlers. I can't imagine though, in these days of manufactured products and such, they still sit around making candles from dead animals. There are a whole load of these medieval guilds, or Livery Companies, still surviving (all of which begin with "The Worshipful Company of.."), in one form or another, many with their only Livery Hall in prime central London properties, and no doubt some as gentleman's clubs. And there are plenty more with groovy names like: The Worshipful Company of Cordwainers The Worshipful Company of Loriners The Worshipful Company of Farriers and last but not least, The Worshipful Company of Management Consultants