St Etheldreda

This is the chapel of one of the four Inns of Court. It is on the site of the chapel built in 1315, and rebuilt in the 1960s following destruction in the Second World War.

A piece of Italy in London. The church is of a scale and significance belied by its modest contribution to the townscape; hemmed in by other buildings, only the (later) narrow entrance front and loggia are visible. The design was conceived in the early 1850s, soon after the restoration of the Catholic hierarchy, when sensitivities about the ‘papal aggression' were still high. It was modelled on the basilica of San Crisogono in Trastevere. Built in 1862-63, it was still the largest Catholic church hitherto in Great Britain.

There are very few historic places in London where the early medieval period is so beautifully preserved as at St Bartholomew the Great. The interior is astonishingly beautiful, with the view down to the Norman east end offering one of the most attractive historic visions in the city. Entry to the church is through a 13th century arch with a half timbered gatehouse.