The main entrance at Barts, which was built 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. It was founded in 1123 by Raherus or Rahere (died 1144), a favorite courtier of King Henry I. It is the oldest surviving hospital in London 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. 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 is an area in the north-west part of the City of London (which is itself the historic core of a much larger London). ... This article is about a small section of central London. ... Henry I (c. ... 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. ...

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

St Bartholomew's Hospital has been in existence for almost 900 years. Its museum, which is open several days 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.
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. ... Christ, is the English representation of the Greek word Χριστός (transliterated as Khristós), which means anointed. ... Bethesda was originally the name of a pool in Jerusalem. ... William Hogarth William Hogarth (November 10, 1697 – October 26, 1764) was a major British painter, engraver, pictorial satirist, and editorial cartoonist who has been credited as a pioneer in western sequential art. ... United States of America Bethesda, Arkansas Bethesda, Delaware Bethesda, Georgia (three places): in Chatham County in Greene County in Gwinnett County Bethesda, Iowa Bethesda, Kentucky Bethesda, Maryland Bethesda, Mississippi Bethesda, North Carolina (two places): in Davidson County in Durham County Bethesda, Ohio Bethesda, Pennsylvania Bethesda, South Carolina Bethesda, Tennessee (two... Samaritans are both a religious and an ethnic group. ...

The Great Hall, Barts

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. 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. ...

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.

After a controversial review of London hospitals in the 1990s Barts was threatened with closure, and lost its Accident and Emergency (A&E) department (US: Emergency Room), 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' A&E may still be seen in shops in the area, and the events of September 11th 2001 increased concern about A&E provision so close to the City, which presents a tempting terrorist target. 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 neighbourhood in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. ... 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. ...

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, 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, Queen Mary's School of Medicine and Dentistry. It occupies some space at the Barts site in Smithfield, but its main site near Barts is at Charterhouse Square a short walk away. 1843 was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... 1995 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 a medical college in London. ... Introduction CHARTERHOUSE. This name is an English corruption of the French maison chartreuse, a religious house of the Carthusian order. ...

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 Smithfields market