900 years of St Bartholomew the Great : the history, art and architecture of London's oldest parish church / edited by Charlotte Gauthier.

The most comprehensive, updated history of St. Bartholomew the Great, the oldest parish church in London, as it celebrates its nine-hundred-year anniversary. At the heart of the Smithfield area, with its pubs, restaurants, and market, is a church built when Henry I was King of England. Overlooking the fields where kings confronted rebellions, knights jousted, and heretics were burnt, St. Bartholomew's Priory and Hospital played a central role in the history of medieval London. The tale of St. Bartholomew's is one of survival and renewal. Not only has the priory hosted many of London's most famous (such as a young Benjamin Franklin), but it has also miraculously survived the tumults of the Reformation, the Civil War, the Great Fire of 1666, and the bomb raids of World Wars I and II. Richly illustrated, 900 Years of St Bartholomew's surveys the art, architecture, and deep historical significance of this enduring landmark.