St. Bartholomew the Less church
The small but charming 12th century St. Barthlomew the Less at Smithfield is the chapel of Bart’s Hospital.
St. Bartholomew the Less stands on the south side of Smithfield, as shown in Civitas Londinum (the ‘Agas map’) from about 1561.
The priory of St. Bartholomew was founded at Smithfield in the early 12th century and from its beginnings cared for the sick. As the canons became more insular, during the course of the century the administration of the hospice became more secular. The priory was dissolved during the reign of Henry VIII and, much reduced in size, became the parish church of St. Bartholomew the Great. The hospital continued and its chapel, which was built in around 1190 immediately inside the main gate of the hospital, became the parish church of those living within the hospital precinct. In 1573 the architect Inigo Jones was christened in St. Bartholomew the Less.
After falling into disrepair, St. Bartholomew the Less was rebuilt by George Dance the Younger at the end of the 18th century and rebuilt again in 1825 by Thomas Hardwick, the hospital architect. His grandson, P.C. Hardwick, carried out further restoration in 1825. The church was gutted during the Blitz but rebuilt by Seely & Paget after the war, reopening in 1951. The walls are lined with numerous memorials to staff of the hospital. In recent years the parish has merged with St. Bartholomew the Great, with the Less continuing as a chapel of ease and a place of worship for patients, staff and visitors of the hospital.
Sources include:
- Stephen Millar ‘London’s City Churches’
- R.G. Ellen ‘A London Steeplechase’
- Tony Tucker ‘City of London Churches’
