St John's Hospital, Bath
Encyclopedia
St John's Hospital in Bath, Somerset
, England, was founded around 1180, by Bishop Reginald Fitz Jocelin
and is among the oldest almshouse
s in England. The current building was erected in 1716 and has been designated as a Grade I listed building.
The 'hospital of the baths' was built beside the hot springs of the Cross Bath
, for their health giving properties and to provide shelter for the poor infirm. It was placed under the control of Bath Cathedral Priory which became Bath Abbey
. One of the key benefactors was Canon William of Wheathampstead
, who gave substantial areas of land to support the hospital.
Funds were needed for the upkeep of the hospital and, in 1400, the Pope
encouraged visitors on certain days to make donations in exchange for being granted remission of their sins. It was suggested in 1527 that the hospital be amalgamated with the Priory to provide greater access to its wealth, however this did not happen. In 1535 it was valued at £22 16s. 9d. During the Dissolution of the monasteries
it managed to remain independent and attempts by William Crouch to take it into private property were defeated after the city fathers petitioned Queen Elizabeth I. During the rest of the Elizabethan era
when wealthy visitors came to the spa the almshouse provided lodgings.
In 1716 the architect William Killigrew was commissioned to rebuild the hospital. Construction continued after 1727 with John Wood, the Elder
undertaking the building, as his first work in Bath, when he was aged 23. He went on to design many of the buildings which created the Georgian
city.
The 2 storey Bath stone
building has a heavy ground floor arcade
of round-headed arches on pillars, and retains its original window mouldings and sashes
.
Horace Walpole stayed here in 1765.
The site now includes Chapel Court, and still operates to provide a home for 90 of the local elderly poor and make grants to individuals and organisations in and around Bath. The charity is now known as The Hospital of St John the Baptist with the Chapel of St Michael annexed with St Catherine's Hospital.
Somerset
The ceremonial and non-metropolitan county of Somerset in South West England borders Bristol and Gloucestershire to the north, Wiltshire to the east, Dorset to the south-east, and Devon to the south-west. It is partly bounded to the north and west by the Bristol Channel and the estuary of the...
, England, was founded around 1180, by Bishop Reginald Fitz Jocelin
Reginald Fitz Jocelin
Reginald fitz Jocelin was a medieval Bishop of Bath and an Archbishop of Canterbury-elect in England. A member of an Anglo-Norman noble family, he was the son of a bishop, and was educated in Italy...
and is among the oldest almshouse
Almshouse
Almshouses are charitable housing provided to enable people to live in a particular community...
s in England. The current building was erected in 1716 and has been designated as a Grade I listed building.
The 'hospital of the baths' was built beside the hot springs of the Cross Bath
The Cross Bath, Bath
The Cross Bath in Bath Street, Bath, Somerset, England is a historic pool for bathing. It was rebuilt, in the style of Robert Adam by Thomas Baldwin around 1789. It has been designated as a Grade I listed building.-Geology:...
, for their health giving properties and to provide shelter for the poor infirm. It was placed under the control of Bath Cathedral Priory which became Bath Abbey
Bath Abbey
The Abbey Church of Saint Peter and Saint Paul, Bath, commonly known as Bath Abbey, is an Anglican parish church and a former Benedictine monastery in Bath, Somerset, England...
. One of the key benefactors was Canon William of Wheathampstead
Wheathampstead
Wheathampstead is a village and civil parish in the City and District of St Albans, in Hertfordshire, England. It is north of St Albans and in the Hitchin and Harpenden parliamentary constituency....
, who gave substantial areas of land to support the hospital.
Funds were needed for the upkeep of the hospital and, in 1400, the Pope
Pope
The Pope is the Bishop of Rome, a position that makes him the leader of the worldwide Catholic Church . In the Catholic Church, the Pope is regarded as the successor of Saint Peter, the Apostle...
encouraged visitors on certain days to make donations in exchange for being granted remission of their sins. It was suggested in 1527 that the hospital be amalgamated with the Priory to provide greater access to its wealth, however this did not happen. In 1535 it was valued at £22 16s. 9d. During the Dissolution of the monasteries
Dissolution of the Monasteries
The Dissolution of the Monasteries, sometimes referred to as the Suppression of the Monasteries, was the set of administrative and legal processes between 1536 and 1541 by which Henry VIII disbanded monasteries, priories, convents and friaries in England, Wales and Ireland; appropriated their...
it managed to remain independent and attempts by William Crouch to take it into private property were defeated after the city fathers petitioned Queen Elizabeth I. During the rest of the Elizabethan era
Elizabethan era
The Elizabethan era was the epoch in English history of Queen Elizabeth I's reign . Historians often depict it as the golden age in English history...
when wealthy visitors came to the spa the almshouse provided lodgings.
In 1716 the architect William Killigrew was commissioned to rebuild the hospital. Construction continued after 1727 with John Wood, the Elder
John Wood, the Elder
John Wood, the Elder, , was an English architect. Born in Twerton England, a village near Bath, now a suburb, he went to school in Bath. He came back to Bath after working in Yorkshire, and it is believed, in London, in his early 20s...
undertaking the building, as his first work in Bath, when he was aged 23. He went on to design many of the buildings which created the Georgian
Georgian architecture
Georgian architecture is the name given in most English-speaking countries to the set of architectural styles current between 1720 and 1840. It is eponymous for the first four British monarchs of the House of Hanover—George I of Great Britain, George II of Great Britain, George III of the United...
city.
The 2 storey Bath stone
Bath Stone
Bath Stone is an Oolitic Limestone comprising granular fragments of calcium carbonate. Originally obtained from the Combe Down and Bathampton Down Mines under Combe Down, Somerset, England, its warm, honey colouring gives the World Heritage City of Bath, England its distinctive appearance...
building has a heavy ground floor arcade
Arcade (architecture)
An arcade is a succession of arches, each counterthrusting the next, supported by columns or piers or a covered walk enclosed by a line of such arches on one or both sides. In warmer or wet climates, exterior arcades provide shelter for pedestrians....
of round-headed arches on pillars, and retains its original window mouldings and sashes
Sash window
A sash window or hung sash window is made of one or more movable panels or "sashes" that form a frame to hold panes of glass, which are often separated from other panes by narrow muntins...
.
Horace Walpole stayed here in 1765.
The site now includes Chapel Court, and still operates to provide a home for 90 of the local elderly poor and make grants to individuals and organisations in and around Bath. The charity is now known as The Hospital of St John the Baptist with the Chapel of St Michael annexed with St Catherine's Hospital.