St Bartholomew-the-Great Churchyard (also known as Priory Church)⁹⁰¹³

Brief Description

The Priory was dissolved by Henry VIII in 1539; the nave of the church was demolished and the churchyard created here, although the Priory gateway remains. From here a straight path leads to the church entrance with the principal area of former churchyard on the left now laid out as a raised garden, reached by steps from the path. There are a number of headstones in the grass, and trees include London plane and an English yew planted to commemorate the 850th anniversary of the Priory Church. An informal garden to the south-east of the church is overlooked from Bartholomew Close.

History

St Bartholomew-the-Great was originally the church of the Priory founded here in 1123 by Rahere, who also founded St Bartholomew's Hospital nearby. He was buried here in 1143 and has a C15th monument in the church. In 1133 the Priory established Bartholomew Fair, which became the largest cloth fair in the country and continued until 1855.

Visitor Facilities