The King Henry VIII Gate at Barts, which was constructed in 1702. Note Henry VIII above the gate

St Bartholomew's Hospital, also known as Barts, is a hospital in Smithfield in the City of London, England. It was founded in 1123 by Raherus or Rahere (died 1144, and entombed in the near by priory church of St Bartholomew-the-Great), a favourite courtier of King Henry I. Following the dissolution of the monasteries which, although did not affect the running of Barts as a hospital, left in it a precarious position by removing its only income, it was refounded by Henry VIII in December 1546, on the signing of an agreement granting the hospital to the City of London, which was reaffirmed in the Letters Patent of January 1547 endowing it with properties and income. The hospital became legally known as the 'House of the Poore in West Smithfield in the suburbs of the City of London of Henry VIII’s Foundation', although the title was never used by the general public. Upon the foundation of the National Health Service in 1948, it officially became known as St. Bartholomew’s Hospital. Download high resolution version (491x655, 40 KB)Barts, main entrance, photo by Nevilley, large File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Download high resolution version (491x655, 40 KB)Barts, main entrance, photo by Nevilley, large File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Henry VIII (28 June 1491 – 28 January 1547) was King of England and Lord of Ireland (later King of Ireland) from 22 April 1509 until his death. ... Smithfield meat market from the south Smithfield is an area in the north-west part of the City of London (which is itself the historic core of a much larger London). ... Coat of arms The City of London is a small area in Greater London. ... Royal motto (French): Dieu et mon droit (Translated: God and my right) Englands location (dark green) within the United Kingdom (light green), with the Republic of Ireland (blue) to its west Languages English Capital London Largest city London Area – Total Ranked 1st UK 130,395 km² Population – Total (mid... The Priory Church of St Bartholomew-the-Great is an Anglican church located at West Smithfield in the City of London, founded as an Augustinian priory in 1123 - see St Bartholomews Hospital for further details. ... Henry I of England (c. ... The Dissolution of the Monasteries (referred to by Roman Catholic writers as the Suppression of the Monasteries) was the formal process, taking place between 1538 and 1541, by which King Henry VIII confiscated the property of the Roman Catholic monastic institutions in England and took them to himself, as the... Henry VIII (28 June 1491 – 28 January 1547) was King of England and Lord of Ireland (later King of Ireland) from 22 April 1509 until his death. ... Coat of arms The City of London is a small area in Greater London. ... The logo of the NHS for England. ... 1948 (MCMXLVIII) was a leap year starting on Thursday (the link is to a full 1948 calendar). ...

It is the oldest surviving hospital in England and has an important current role as well as a long history and architecturally important buildings. The Henry VIII entrance to the hospital shown in the photograph is still the main public entrance. The statue of Henry VIII is the only public statue of him in London. Henry VIII (28 June 1491 – 28 January 1547) was King of England and Lord of Ireland (later King of Ireland) from 22 April 1509 until his death. ...

St Bartholomew's Hospital has existed on the same site for almost 900 years, surviving both the Great Fire of London and The Blitz. Its museum, which is open Tuesdays to Fridays each week, shows how medical care has developed over this time and explains the history of the hospital. Part way around the exhibition is a door which opens on to the hospital's official entrance hall. On the walls of the staircase are two stunning murals painted by William Hogarth, The Pool of Bethesda (1736) and The Good Samaritan (1737). These are worth a visit in their own right but can only be seen at close quarters on Friday afternoons. Hogarth was so outraged by the news that the hospital was commissioning art from Italian painters that he insisted on doing these murals free of charge, as a demonstration that English painting was equal to the task. The Pool of Bethesda is of particular medical interest, as it depicts a scene in which Christ cures the sick: display material on the first floor speculates in modern medical terms about the ailments from which Christ's patients in the painting are suffering. London, as it appeared from Bankside, Southwark, During the Great Fire — Derived from a Print of the Period by Visscher The Great Fire of London was a major conflagration that swept through the City of London from September 2 to September 5, 1666, and resulted more or less in the... German bomber over the Surrey Docks, Southwark, London The Blitz was the bombing of the United Kingdom by Nazi Germany between 7 September 1940 and 16 May 1941, during World War II. It was carried out by the Luftwaffe across the UK, but their attack was concentrated on London. ... William Hogarth, self-portrait, 1745 William Hogarth (November 10, 1697 – October 26, 1764) was a major English painter, engraver, pictorial satirist, and editorial cartoonist who has been credited as a pioneer in western sequential art. ... Bethesda was originally the name of a pool in Jerusalem. ... The Good Samaritan. From a collection of public domain Christian clip art. ...

Hogarth's "Christ at the Pool of Bethesda" mural

The room to which the staircase leads is the hospital's Great Hall, a striking double-height room in Baroque style. Although there are a few paintings inside the Great Hall, nearly all are on movable stands: the walls themselves are mostly given over to the display of the very many large, painted plaques which list, in detail, the sums of money given to the hospital by its benefactors. These make diverting reading: the visitor should note that some of the amounts, which are expressed in pounds, shillings and pence, are odd because they are the remains of an estate after all other bequests have been settled; others look strange because they were given as round amounts of guineas, a guinea being twenty-one shillings (£1.05 in decimal currency). When translated into pounds and shillings these give some odd-looking results: for example fifty-five guineas would be listed as £57-15-00. Download high resolution version (800x728, 115 KB)Barts, Hogarth mural, photo by Nevilley File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Download high resolution version (800x728, 115 KB)Barts, Hogarth mural, photo by Nevilley File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... This page is about the title. ... Bethesda was originally the name of a pool in Jerusalem. ...

The Great Hall is part of a building which forms one side of the hospital's central square. Currently (2003) this area is the site of some building work as the hospital is redeveloped (see below), but the work is masked from the main square by large murals and the overall effect is thus not too badly diminished.

Interestingly, Barts is unique amongst English hospitals, being a parish in its own right. The Anglican parish church of St Bartholomew-the-Less is the only survivor of Bart's original five chapels, which failed to survive the dissolution of the monasteries by King Henry VIII. The church has a 15th century tower and vestry, and its links to the hospital can be seen not only in its early-20th century stained glass window of a nurse, a gift of the Worshipful Company of Glaziers, but also in the plaques and commemerations that adorn the inside of the building. Royal motto (French): Dieu et mon droit (Translated: God and my right) Englands location (dark green) within the United Kingdom (light green), with the Republic of Ireland (blue) to its west Languages English Capital London Largest city London Area – Total Ranked 1st UK 130,395 km² Population – Total (mid... St Bartholomew-the-Less is an Anglican church in the City of London. ... The Dissolution of the Monasteries (referred to by Roman Catholic writers as the Suppression of the Monasteries) was the formal process, taking place between 1538 and 1541, by which King Henry VIII confiscated the property of the Roman Catholic monastic institutions in England and took them to himself, as the... (14th century - 15th century - 16th century - other centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 15th century was that century which lasted from 1401 to 1500. ...

Throughout the whole of the 19th century the Hardwick family were major benefactors of the hospital. Thomas Hardwick Junior (1752 - 1825), Philip Hardwick (1792-1870), and Philip Charles Hardwick (1822-1892) were all architects/surveyors to Barts. Philip Hardwick was also employed in the rebuilding of the church of St Bartholomew's the less in 1823 and also contributed the fountain in the courtyard.

The courtyard in the early 19th century

After a controversial review of London hospitals in the 1990s Barts was threatened with closure, and lost its Accident and Emergency (A&E) department, whose absence is still hotly resented locally. The nearest A&E is now at the Royal London Hospital, a sister hospital of Barts which is a couple of miles away in Whitechapel. The Minor Injuries unit at Barts aims to replace A&E for small cases (which often represent a significant part of the workload of A&E services), but urgent and major work goes to the Royal London or other hospitals. Many campaign stickers demanding the reopening of Barts's A&E may still be seen in shops in the area, and the events of September 11th 2001 and July 7th 2005 increased concern about A&E provision so close to the City, which presents a tempting terrorist target. Image File history File links StBart. ... Image File history File links StBart. ... A&E is a three-letter abbreviation with multiple meanings, as described below: A&E Network (Arts and Entertainment), an American television network the Accident and Emergency department of a hospital This page concerning a three-letter acronym or abbreviation is a disambiguation page—a list of articles associated with... Part of the front of the Royal London Hospital The Royal London Hospital, formerly the London Hospital, is a hospital in Whitechapel, London. ... Whitechapel is a place in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, United Kingdom. ... The World Trade Center on fire The September 11, 2001 attacks were a series of coordinated terrorist attacks against the United States on September 11, 2001. ... The 7 July 2005 London bombings were a series of coordinated suicide bombings that struck Londons public transport system during the morning rush hour. ...

The Great Hall, Barts

A common view of some medical staff is that it is difficult for hospitals without an A&E to keep at the cutting edge of skills, acquire interesting and varied cases, etc. Nevertheless, the new plan is for Barts to develop as a centre of excellence in cardiac care and cancer, and to this end major investment and redevelopment is taking place at the site. Barts, Great Hall, photo by Nevilley File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Barts, Great Hall, photo by Nevilley File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ...

Barts, along with the Royal London and London Chest Hospitals, is part of Barts and The London NHS Trust. There are 388 beds in Barts, 675 beds in the Royal London & 109 beds in the London Chest Hospital. Part of the front of the Royal London Hospital The Royal London Hospital, formerly the London Hospital, is a hospital in Whitechapel, London. ... Barts and The London NHS Trust is an NHS Trust operating in the City of London and East London. ...

In 1843 St Bartholomew's Hospital Medical College was established to train medics. In 1995 the college, along with that attached to the Royal London, merged into Queen Mary, University of London but maintains a distinctive identity to this day. It is now known as Barts and The London, or more formally Barts and The London, Queen Mary's School of Medicine and Dentistry. It occupies some space at the Barts site in Smithfield, with a presence at Charterhouse Square, a short walk away in the borough of Camden. The main preclinical teaching domain of the medical school is in Whitechapel at the new and award winning Blizard Building. The building also houses the educational facility 'The Centre of the Cell', and the Institute of Cell and Molecular Science. 1843 was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... 1995 (MCMXCV) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Queen Mary, University of London (QMUL) (until recently Queen Mary and Westfield College, University of London and still called that in its charter and occasionally still abbreviated to QMW) is the fourth largest College of the University of London. ... Barts and The London, Queen Marys School of Medicine and Dentistry is the medical school of Queen Mary, University of London (Queen Mary and Westfield College, University of London) and has existed in this form since 1995. ... The Charterhouse in 1770. ... The London Borough of Camden is an inner-London borough created in 1965 to replace the metropolitan boroughs of Hampstead, Holborn, St Pancras. ... Whitechapel is a place in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, United Kingdom. ...

External links

• Barts and The London NHS Trust
• The Museum of St Bartholomew's Hospital
• Barts and The London, Queen Mary's School of Medicine and Dentistry
• Historic image of Barts looking across Smithfield Market
• (www.shaw-hardwick.co.uk - Website in memory of the Hardwick architects