Barbican and St Barts the Great

London,
January 2026.

There is something about a sunny winter’s day in London. Maybe you feel the same thing in any other large European city at this time of year, who knows. The air is crisp and clear, the sky is blue, the sun is low all day and casts great deep shadows that contrast sharply with its harsh bright glow. It’s almost monochromatic, but it’s in colour.

On the downside there is a sharp wind blowing and it’s cold, making my mid-morning walk around the Barbican Centre a reasonably solitary one. In the main the only other people I see are also solitary photographers. I shared a nod with some, though not all respond. Photographers can be weird, maybe it’s just me that is weird.

Even though I was wrapped up tight I didn’t stay too long.

I had hoped to get a last-minute ticket to the Barbican Conservatory, a fabulous indoor garden over and around the concrete terraces that are, for me, the draw of the Barbican. It’s all very dystopian, and fabulous. Sadly, the conservatory was closed the day I visit, a not uncommon occurrence.

I was looking for a certain shot, but couldn’t find anything that worked, though overall I was happy with the images I took. I will never be disappointed by the Barbican to be fair.

The secondary objective today was to visit the Priory Church of St Bartholomew the Great near St Bartholomew Hospital, a 20-minute walk from the Barbican and almost a polar opposite architecturally.

St Bartholomew the Great is one of London’s oldest churches, dating back to 1123 when it was founded by Rahere, a court follower who had a fever dream about building a priory. Part of it survived Henry VIII’s dissolution of the monasteries between 1536 and 1541, though most of the priory was demolished and what remained became a parish church.

Over the years it’s been used as a stable, a blacksmith’s forge, and even a printing works; Benjamin Franklin worked here as a printer. The building retains some remarkable Norman architecture which is quite unusual for London and it’s a fabulous off-the-tourist-trail place to visit.  There is a some great art work here.

In 2006 Damien Hirst installed a life size bronze and gold leaf statue (Exquisite Pain) of St Bartholomew, a disciple of Jesus who was martyred in Armenia soon after the crucifixion. The story was Bartholomew was flayed (skinned) alive; he is the patron saint of surgeons.