St Bartholomew's Hospital, Bristol, Medieval hospital building in Christmas Street, Bristol, England
St. Bartholomew's Hospital is a stone building on Christmas Street with a 17th-century front and arches from a 12th-century town house beneath it. The overhanging first floor shows how the structure was adapted and rebuilt over time.
Sir John la Warr founded this monastic hospital in 1240 and donated land to support its work caring for locals. The building later served different purposes including schools and medical facilities for centuries.
The building reflects how medieval communities organized care through religious brotherhoods, with local trade supporting charitable work. This approach shaped how people viewed responsibility for those in need.
The building sits in the city center on Christmas Street and is easy to spot from the street. As a historic landmark, some interior spaces are not open to the public and parts are privately owned.
Archaeologists digging in the 1970s discovered around 30 skeletal remains showing fractures and infection marks. These bones reveal how medieval people experienced injury and disease, offering rare evidence of conditions patients actually faced.
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