For the First Time Ever, You Can See Stunning, Centuries-Old Murals at England’s Oldest Hospital
The biblical scenes by William Hogarth are a highlight of the North Wing at St. Bartholomew’s Hospital in London, which is now open for public tours
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In 1732, St. Bartholomew’s Hospital in London began construction on its North Wing, an extravagant interior featuring a Great Hall with a gilded ceiling, a timber staircase and two floor-to-ceiling murals by English painter William Hogarth.
Now, for the first time in nearly 300 years, the North Wing is open to the public. On select days, visitors can admire Hogarth’s murals, The Pool of Bethesda and The Good Samaritan, up close. The grandiose biblical scenes, which adorn the North Wing’s stairwell, were rare for Hogarth, a satirist who mainly drew political cartoons.
“Hogarth didn’t do anything else at this scale, other than one other later commission,” Will Palin, chief executive of Barts Heritage, the charity that cares for the North Wing, tells Discover Britain magazine’s Isobel King. “The results are quite extraordinary.”
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In The Pool of Bethesda, a man who has long been unable to walk is healed by Jesus. In The Good Samaritan, the eponymous biblical character pours oil and wine into a man’s wound.
The murals were intended to inspire potential donors and educate viewers. According to Barts Heritage, the figures depicted “are thought to be patients from the hospital, many of whose conditions are recognizable to the trained eye. None of the illnesses are exaggerated, perhaps unusually for an artist known for caricatures.”
The North Wing opened to the public this week after a roughly $12.8 million project that required five years of planning, fundraising and restoration work. A team including painting conservators, ironwork specialists, masons and more was tasked with preserving the North Wing’s interior and exterior. Gilders worked on restoring the Great Hall’s intricate ceiling, which is plasterer Jean Baptiste St. Michell’s only known work in the United Kingdom.
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Fun facts: St. Bartholomew’s Hospital and Henry VIII
- During the English Reformation, Henry VIII shut down many of the kingdom’s monasteries—a move that also affected hospitals, which were often closely linked to these houses of worship.
- London citizens petitioned the Tudor king to allow St. Bartholomew’s to continue operating. Henry conceded, granting the hospital to the City of London in 1546.
Founded in 1123, St. Bartholomew’s (often nicknamed Barts) is the oldest hospital still in operation at its original site in England. The institution has provided medical training and free health care for more than 900 years. A chemical laboratory at Barts served as the location for the first meeting of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson in Arthur Conan Doyle’s 1887 novel A Study in Scarlet. The hospital also features in the BBC drama “Sherlock,” based on Doyle’s books.
Initially, Italian painter Jacopo Amigoni was slated to paint the North Wing staircase. When Hogarth, who was born near the old hospital, learned of the commission, he was furious.
“Amigoni was a safe pair of hands,” Palin tells the Guardian’s Lanre Bakare. “He was a Venetian painter. But Hogarth, he was born literally a stone’s throw from the hospital. He knew the hospital well and almost felt an ownership of this project.”
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Hogarth also felt it was important for the commission to go to an English artist. But what really secured his spot, Palin says, is that he offered his services for free. “Few people in the 1730s were entirely convinced by Hogarth’s essays in the grand manner to date, his painted output having been confined largely to conversation pieces and portraits—but once they heard the price, it was an offer the hospital authorities could hardly refuse,” writes Kirsten Tambling for Apollo magazine.
Now, visitors will be able to see Hogarth’s work for themselves, as well as stand in the Great Hall, which is decorated with the names of more than 3,000 historic hospital benefactors. The building will be open on Mondays, Tuesdays and the first Sunday of every month. The North Wing will also host concerts, events and guided tours.
“This hidden gem will welcome the public as a place for art, culture and well-being at the heart of the city,” says Palin in a statement.