Bartholomew Fair was first staged in 1133 by the Priory Church of St Bartholomew to to support what became Barts Hospital. It was shut down by the City Corporation in 1855, and restaged by the hospital in 1923 and 1973. In 2023 the Corporation staged a City-wide event over three weeks, prompted by ideas from councillor Matthew Bell, supported by David Wilcox, in the EC1 Echo.

Matthew, together with other councillors, St Bartholomew the Great and residents developed a local Cloth Fair with a traditional opening by the Lord Mayor.

• Cloth Fair web site
• Bartholomew and Cloth Fair blog posts
• News release on Bartholomew Fair 2023
• Official Bartholomew Fair programme
• Cloth Fair programme 2023
• Bartholomew and Cloth Fair locations 2023
  

• Matthew Bell's History of Bartholomew Fair - Page contains reference links
• The story of Bartholomew Fair re-staged in 2023
• Bartholomew Fair re-staged 1923-2018 - links to pages about earlier restaging
• The City Courant Souvenir Edition

David Wilcox david@socialreporter.com