Category: Smithfield, London

Smithfield, London

The gatehouse to the church of St. Bartholomew The Great – one of London’s oldest churches – is one of a few survivors of Tudor London. The church was founded in 1123 as a priory, and It stands near Smithfield market. In 1536, during the dissolution of the monasteries, the church was largely destroyed. However, at the end of the 16th century, William Scudamore built his residence on top of the gatehouse. The building survived the Great Fire of 1666, as did a number of the houses in nearby Cloth Fair.
During the 18th century, a Georgian façade was constructed over the Tudor timbers and, for the following 200 years, the gatehouse was a shop. The damage caused by a German bomb dropped during a Zeppelin raid in 1917 revealed the original frontage
In 1932, the building was fully restored, and is now Grade II listed.
and even retains some of the 13th century stonework from the original nave. On the first floor of the property there is bolection-moulded panelling from around 1700, whilst the attic boasts original panelling dating back to 1595.
The gatehouse was used as a school between 1948 and 1979. Also, William Wallace was hanged, drawn and quartered in Smithfield – within 100 yards of the gatehouse.
Image: Photographer unknown (1940s)
The gatehouse in February 2020.
Image: © Steven Miell (TimeViews)
A merged version of the two photographs. Use the slider in the centre.