Free Webinar

Waking a Sleeping Giant: The Rescue and Repair of the North Wing at St. Bartholomew’s Hospital  

Friday, November 6, 1:00 - 2:00 p.m. Eastern Time

Presented by Will Palin; Moderated by Curt DiCamillo

St. Bartholomew’s Hospital in London was founded in 1123 by Rahere (died 1144 and entombed in the nearby Priory Church of St. Bartholomew the Great), a favorite courtier of King Henry I. Amazingly enough, 900 years later, it continues to function as a hospital. In 2017 the Barts Heritage Trust was founded with a mission to repair, conserve, and rejuvenate two of England’s most important interiors: the Henry VIII Gatehouse and the historic North Wing of the hospital, which houses the celebrated Hogarth Stair and Great Hall. In this talk Will Palin, Chief Executive of Barts Heritage, will discuss the challenges and complexities of the project (completed in 2025), including the exciting opportunities it offered for public access during the restoration work. 

Will Palin has been the CEO of Barts Heritage at St. Bartholomew’s Hospital since 2019, where he led the project to repair, conserve, and rejuvenate the Grade I-listed North Wing. An architectural historian, writer, campaigner, and heritage expert, Will’s past roles have included curator at Sir John Soane’s Museum, director of SAVE Britain’s Heritage, and conservation director at the Old Royal Naval College in Greenwich, where he led the multi-award-winning Painted Hall conservation project. Will has lectured widely on 18th and 19th century art and architecture and is a former columnist of Country Life magazine. As chairman of the Sheerness Dockyard Trust, he oversaw the rescue and repair of Sheerness Dockyard Church, a project that received 13 major awards, including the RICS UK Project of the Year.