Tour of Charnel House and 37 Spital Square
Tour of Charnel House, Spitalfields and 37 Spital Square
Join us for a Halloween tour of the medieval charnel house in Spitalfields, followed by a visit to the nearby SPAB headquarters at 37 Spital Square.
£5, including refreshments
Event details
A charnel house is a vault or building where human skeletal remains are stored. Join us for a Halloween tour of the medieval charnel house in Spitalfields, followed by a visit to the nearby SPAB headquarters at 37 Spital Square.
Programme
A tour of the Charnel House, Spitalfields (5.30-6.30pm)
Jane Sidell of Historic England will open up the 14th-century charnel house associated with the medieval priory of St Mary Spital.
Jane was involved with the original fieldwork and will tell us a little about the history of the priory and cemetery, the excavation and discovery, and how the ruins were secured and conserved.
The fascinating story of 37 Spital Square (6.30-8pm)
SPAB Director Matthew Slocombe will share an illustrated overview of this historic building which is now used as SPAB headquarters.
The story stretches from the Roman period to the present, taking in St Mary's Priory Hospital, the dissolution of the monasteries, the Great Fire of London, Huguenot and Russian Jewish immigration, riot, Jack the Ripper, World War II, umbrellas, and the building’s eventual rescue from dereliction.
Practicalities
Meet outside Costa Coffee, 15 Bishops Square, Brushfield St, London E1 6EG.
Refreshments will be served at 37 Spital Square. Please state any dietary requirements when booking.
Accessibility
Please note that access to 37 Spital Square is via steps.
Anything we can do to make this visit more accessible for you? Please email membership@spab.org.uk
Multiple bookings
As long as there is space on the event, we usually allow you to book for both yourself and a guest. When completing the booking form, you will be asked to select the number of people and put in your own details on the first page, then to put in your second person's details on the next page. The event fee shown on each of these pages is for the individual person - you will be shown the total amount due once you get to the summary page.
Photo: Jane Sidell, Historic England