London · Clerkenwell · See
Norman church of 1123 with a dark, atmospheric interior, well known as a film location.
The church is one of London’s oldest places of worship and part of a priory founded by a courtier named Rahere. Inside, heavy Romanesque arches and dark stone dominate, and light filters in only sparingly. Scenes from ‘Four Weddings and a Funeral’ and ‘Shakespeare in Love’ were filmed here. Easy to combine with Postman’s Park and nearby Smithfield Market with its Victorian hall.
The Priory Church of St Bartholomew the Great, sometimes abbreviated to St-Barts-the-Great, is a medieval church in the Church of England's Diocese of London located in Smithfield within the City of London. The building was founded as an Augustinian priory in 1123. It adjoins St Bartholomew's Hospital of the same foundation. St Bartholomew the Great is named to distinguish it from its neighbouring smaller church of St Bartholomew the Less, founded at the same time and now a chapel of ease. The two parish churches were reunited in 2012 under the benefice of Great St Bartholomew. Today the buildings houses a parish with services taking place in both buildings.
From Wikipedia: “St Bartholomew-the-Great”, licence CC BY-SA 4.0
Three places nearby, in walking order.
Lunch Mon–Sat 12 noon–3 pm, Sun 12 noon–4 pm; dinner Mon–Sat 6–10.30 pm
British nose-to-tail cooking in a former smokehouse; order the bone marrow and the madeleines.
The lunch menu goes online at 11 am; book a table, the bar at the front offers wine and small bites without booking.
According to the programme
Well-known techno club in a former cold store by Smithfield Market; three rooms, one with a vibrating dance floor.
Valid ID only (passport or ID card). Tickets online in advance, often sold out. Photography is frowned upon.
Open in daytime (roughly 8 am until evening), unverified
Small park with the Watts Memorial: ceramic plaques honour people who died saving others.
Free and a hidden gem, only a few steps from St Paul's. At lunchtime lots of office workers sit here.
Mon–Fri 11 am–11 pm, Sat 12 noon–8 pm, closed Sun
Victorian gin palace opposite the Old Bailey with a richly decorated interior.
Closed Sundays, Saturdays only until 8 pm.
According to the programme
Concert hall in the Barbican complex, home of the London Symphony Orchestra; also jazz and world music.
Beforehand, wander through the conservatory and past the lakes of the Barbican.
According to the programme
Cinema screens in the Barbican complex with film seasons, festivals and premieres.
Combine with a concert in the Barbican Hall or a walk around the estate.
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