Visit Barts North Wing

Discover the remarkable paintings and monumental interiors of the Great Hall and Hogarth Stair

Plan your visit

Barts North Wing: the Great Hall and Hogarth Stair, and St Bartholomew’s Hospital Museum is open to hospital staff, patients and the public. 

It’s free to visit – no booking required.

Visit to see the newly conserved, repaired and restored interiors of one of the most impressive historic buildings in London.

Opening Times

from October 2025

Every Monday & Tuesday:
10am – 4pm

First Sunday of every month:
10am – 4pm

Christmas closure period 

We will be closed the 22nd and 23rd December and will reopen on Monday 29th December.

Special opening hours

We are open outside of regular hours for special events (music, talks, tours and more), see our What’s on page for more details.

Things to see and do

Multimedia  & audio guides

To enhance your visit, you can pick up one of our multimedia or audio guides at our reception desk at the Barts North Wing entrance. There is a small cost for hiring these.

Free guide

You can access our free guide here, which provides information and images about the Henry VIII Gatehouse, St Bartholomew the Less church, and the hospital Square.

Download our free guide

Activities

There’s also a range of free interactive heritage activities to enjoy.

Group visits

Let us know you’re coming

If you plan on visiting with a group of eight or more people, it’s essential you let us know beforehand so we can manage visitor numbers and space within the building.

We are not able to guarantee entry for unbooked groups.

We have limited tour allocation slots for group bookings, if you would like to book a guided tour for your group, please get in touch. Our regular public tours (on our What’s on page) are only for individuals, pairs, and small groups of less than eight.

Guided tours are only available on our public open days: Monday, Tuesday, and the first Sunday of the month.

Guided tours are of the Great Hall and Hogarth Stair, we currently do not offer tours of St Bartholomew’s Hospital Museum.

School visits

School groups are welcome to visit, please ensure that you contact us to arrange your visit before you attend.

Community groups

Free workshops and tours

If you work with or are a part of a London based community group we would love to hear from you and welcome you to the building. We can offer community groups free workshops and tours. To find out more, please get in touch at bookings@bartsheritage.org.uk

All group visits – please get in touch to book

For all group visit enquiries please contact us on bookings@bartsheritage.org.uk and we will assist you.

A group of visitors on a tour of Barts North Wing visit the Hogarth Stair
Visitors climb the Hogarth Stair as part of a Tuesday morning tour of Barts North Wing

How to find us

Barts North Wing
St Bartholomew’s Hospital
West Smithfield
London EC1A 7BE

What 3 words ///mutual.paints.nation

Finding the entrance

From West Smithfield, enter via the Henry VIII Gatehouse, then straight ahead through the archway under the North Wing and into The Square. The entrance to the North Wing is on your left facing The Square.

How to get here

London Underground & rail services

The nearest tube stations are Farringdon, Barbican and St Paul’s.

Thameslink rail services also leave from Farringdon and City Thameslink.

Buses

The 59, 56, 46, 8, 25, 76, 100, 4 and 133 routes all stop near the hospital.

Cycling

There are bike racks on West Smithfield and inside the hospital (near the Henry VIII Gatehouse).

Santander Cycles docking stations can be found on West Smithfield and at other locations close by.

Directions

You can enter the hospital site via the Henry VIII Gatehouse on West Smithfield, or via entrances on Giltspur Street and King Edward Street.

By car – Blue Badge

Blue Badge parking bays can be found directly outside the Henry VIII Gatehouse on West Smithfield, and nearby on Hosier Lane and Giltspur Street. You can also check where to park on the City of London website.

No public parking

There is no public parking at the hospital. If you do need to drive, the Rotunda multi-storey public car park is close to the hospital in West Smithfield. NCP Aldersgate multi-storey is also nearby.

A map of the hospital and nearby parking and blue badge parking bays can be found here.

Accessibility

Steps

Step-free access is available to all public spaces via the main Barts North Wing entrance.

Dogs

Assistance dogs and dogs registered with the Emotional Support Animal Registry are welcome.

Seating

A range of seating is placed throughout the Great Hall.

Access resources

We have large print guides, colour overlays and noise cancelling head-phones for any visitors who may need them, they can be found at our reception desk at the Barts North Wing entrance.

Quiet

We do not currently have a dedicated quiet period, but will update the website once we know when our quieter periods are.
If you need a quiet space during your visit, please ask a member of staff and they will direct you.

We understand that our visitors will have a range of access needs, if you have any questions before your visit, please contact us info@bartsheritage.org.uk

Download our visual journey

Facilities

WCs

There are accessible toilets and gendered toilets in Barts North Wing.

Babies

Baby changing facilities can be found in the West Wing of the hospital, please ask a member of staff for directions during your visit.

We are a nursing friendly venue.

Food and drink

We do not have a picnic area or café and food can’t be consumed in the building. There is a small café in the hospital’s King George V building and cafés nearby, including 21 West, Beppe’s and Half Cup.

Book a guided tour

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More to see at St Bartholomew’s Hospital

The Henry VIII Gateway at the entrance to St Bartholomew’s Hospital from West Smithfield

Henry VIII Gatehouse

The Henry VIII Gatehouse, dates from 1702 and was designed as a new entrance to the hospital. The Gatehouse commemorates King Henry VIII (who re-founded the hospital in 1547), and it features the only public statue of the king in London. The Gatehouse is not open to the public.

A wooden head exhibited at St Bartholomew’s Hospital Museum

St Bartholomew’s Hospital Museum

The museum is free to visit on Mondays and Tuesdays and the first Sunday of every month, 10:00-16:00.

More about the museum
The fountain at the centre of the Square at Barts Hospital

The Square

The Square is a secluded and tranquil place to sit.  The fountain dates from 1859 and was designed by Philip Hardwick, the then architect of the hospital. The shelters are also a Victorian addition.