St Sepulchre Without Newgate, Watch House
The Watch House, 10 Giltspur St, London EC1A 9DE
St Sepulchre Without Newgate is also known as Holy Sepulchre London. Its Watch House, built in 1791, was designed to protect bodies buried in the churchyard. Grave-robbing had become a serious problem, horrifying the public and troubling the authorities.
Surgeons at nearby St Bartholomew’s Hospital needed bodies for dissection, and buyers, sellers and corpses would gather at the Fortune of War pub, which once stood close by. The Anatomy Act of 1832 later allowed doctors and anatomy teachers to dissect donated bodies legally, bringing this disturbing trade under proper control.
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Directions to next stop: Continue up Giltspur Street until you reach the Golden Boy at Pye Corner. This is the spot of the Fortune of War pub and marks the point where the Great Fire of 1666 ended. Cross the road to the stone entrance marked by a statue of King Henry VIII.
Go through the gateway into the main courtyard of St Bartholomew’s Hospital.
Please be mindful that this is a working hospital.