St Bartholomew's Hospital, Henry VIII Gate & Museum
The gatehouse and small museum of London's oldest hospital: the real place Holmes and Watson first meet in Conan Doyle's 1887 story, and more than a century later a real filming backdrop for BBC's Sherlock.
- Landmark
- Price: Free
Did you know
Arthur Conan Doyle's own medical-school connections likely inspired setting Holmes and Watson's first meeting at Bart's in 'A Study in Scarlet.' The show's 'Reichenbach Fall' sequence was staged using the hospital's grounds, though the actual roof used was a modern extension, not publicly accessible.
Local tip
The museum keeps limited hours, Tuesdays and Fridays, plus the first Sunday of the month, so check before making a special trip; the Henry VIII gatehouse itself is visible from the street any time.
Finding it
- Address
- St Bartholomew's Hospital, Little Britain, West Smithfield, St Paul's, City of London, Greater London, England, EC1A 7BN
- Nearest station
- St. Paul's (Tube), 250 m away
Details change, so check with the place before you set off.
More places nearby
- Postman's ParkA quiet City garden holding the Watts Memorial, a wall of tiles honouring ordinary people who died saving others.
- fabricA three-room electronic music club in Farringdon, founded in 1999, known for its bass-driven soundsystem and one of London's longest-running underground club nights.
- St Paul's CathedralChristopher Wren's Baroque masterpiece and the City of London's defining silhouette, rebuilt after the Great Fire and still an active place of worship.
- The CharterhouseA Grade I listed former Carthusian monastery, Tudor mansion and still-working almshouse, with a free museum display and chapel open to visitors.