St Bartholomew's Hospital (Barts) Courtyard

West Smithfield
London
EC1 7BA

Barts has been on site for almost 900 years, bearing witness to events as dramatic as the execution of William Wallace and the Fire of London. On top of that it has been the workplace for some of the finest medical practitioners in British history such as William Harvey who discovered the circulation of the blood and James Paget, one of the founders of modern pathology. The main square was designed by James Gibbs in the 1730s, of the four original blocks only three survive, this includes the block containing the Great Hall and two flanking blocks that contained wards. The first wing to be built was the North wing, in 1732. It is the North Wing that contains the Great Hall and the Hogarth murals. The South Wing followed in 1740, the West Wing in 1752 and finally the East Wing in 1769. In 1859, a fountain was placed in its centre (the Courtyard) along with a small garden.

Nearest Transport Links: St Paul's