Gatehouse of St Bartholomew The Great

The Priory Church of St Bartholomew the Great dates from 1123. Having survived the Great Fire of London and the Blitz, it is the oldest church in the City of London. A half-timbered gatehouse was added in 1595, above a 13th century stone arch. Later hidden behind a Georgian shop front, a WWI zeppelin raid blew the façade open revealing the extraordinary Tudor structure beneath.

A set of heraldic gates were added in 1932, with the coats of arms of Henry I and the church’s restorers. The gatehouse had become dark and dingy, the handsome iron lanterns were not working, the paint was flaking and the ironwork was corroded.

HOLT commissioned a condition survey of the gates and lanterns in early 2020. We raised the funds and conservation work took place over July - August 2020, restoring the ironwork, repainting the gates and gilding the coats of arms. The lanterns were put into full working order, lighting the gatehouse by night. This project funded by HOLT, supported with a generous donation from Helical plc.