Another Wilbraham building is the beautiful 1670 entrance archway to St. Bartholomew’s Hospital in London. St Bart’s as it is more affectionately known is the oldest hospital in Britain still providing medical services and occupying its original site. It has an important current role as a major London hospital and research establishment as well as a long history with architecturally important buildings. The so-named Henry VIII entrance to the hospital remains the primary public entrance and features a statue of King Henry VIII above the gate. St Bart’s is just a few minutes walk north from St. Paul’s Cathedral, and is opposite the famous Smithfield market.
Above the arch are three storeys framed by a pair of giant pilasters, the first time that this architectural feature had been applied in the UK. It was inspired by the Trippenhuis in Amsterdam, designed by one of the Vingboons brothers, whom Elizabeth met while studying there with Pieter Post.
This website highly recommends a visit if the reader is in London. Make sure to also visit the small Hospital Museum, which tells the historical narrative of the hospital and its work in caring for the sick and injured. The museum collection includes historic surgical instruments, sculptures, medieval archives, and works of art, including the giant canvas-on-wall paintings The Pool of Bethesda (1736) and The Good Samaritan (1737) by William Hogarth. For our Australian cricket fans, bizarrely, there is also a Don Bradman bat!
‘The Good Samaritan’ William Hogarth c. 1737-1737 London St. Bartholomew’s Hospital Museum
