THE CITY - London - page 176

ST BARTHOLOMEW'S HOSPITAL MUSEUM
West Smithfield Barbican.Tues-Fri 10am-4pm.Free. MAP
Among the medical artefacts, this hospital museum boasts some fearsome amputation in-
struments, a pair of leather “lunatic restrainers”, some great jars with labels such as “poison
- for external use only”, and a cricket bat autographed by W.G. Grace, who was a student at
Bart's in the 1870s. To see the magnificent Great Hall you must go on one of the fascinat-
ing guided tours (Fri 2pm; £5; 020 7837 0546), which take in Smithfield and the sur-
rounding area as well; the meeting point is the Henry VIII gate.
MUSEUM OF LONDON
London Wall Barbican 020 7001 9844, www.museumoflondon.org.uk . Daily 10am-6pm.Free. MAP
Despite London's long pedigree, very few of its ancient structures are still standing.
However, numerous Roman, Saxon and Elizabethan remains have been discovered and are
now displayed at the Museum of London. The permanent exhibition provides an imaginat-
ive and educational trot through London's past from prehistory to the present day. Specific
exhibits to look out for include the Bucklersbury Roman mosaic; a model of Old St Paul's;
and the Lord Mayor's heavily gilded coach (still used for state occasions). The real strength
of the museum, though, lies in the excellent temporary exhibitions, lectures, walks and films
it organizes throughout the year.
GUILDHALL
Gresham St Bank or Mansion House 020 7606 3030, www.cityoflondon.gov.uk .May-Sept daily
10am-5pm; Oct-April Mon-Sat 10am-5pm.Free. MAP
Situated at the geographical centre of the City, Guildhall has been the area's administrative
seat for over eight hundred years. It remains the head-quarters of the City of London Cor-
poration , the City's governing body, and is used for grand civic occasions. Architecturally,
however, it's not quite the beauty it once was, having been badly damaged in both the Great
Fire and the Blitz, and somewhat scarred by the addition of a grotesque 1970s concrete
cloister and wing.
Nonetheless, the Great Hall , basically a postwar reconstruction on the fifteenth-century
walls, is worth a look if there isn't an event going on. In 1553 the venue for the high-treason
trials of Lady Jane Grey and her husband, Lord Dudley, the hall is home to a handful of
vainglorious late eighteenth- and early nineteenth-century monuments, replete with lions,
cherubs and ludicrous allegorical figures. You might also pop into the Clockmakers' Mu-
seum (Mon-Fri 9.30am-4.45pm; free), a collection of over six hundred timepieces, includ-
ing one of the clocks that won John Harrison the Longitude prize.
Also worth a visit is the purpose-built Guildhall Art Gallery (Mon-Sat 10am-5pm, Sun
noon-4pm; free), which contains one or two exceptional works, such as Rossetti's La Ghir-
landata and Holman Hunt's The Eve of St Agnes , plus a massive painting depicting the 1782
Siege of Gibraltar, commissioned by the Corporation. In the basement, you can view the re-