Place name
As the name suggests. It was here in medieval times that merchants, from all over the country and abroad, particularly Italian and Flemish drapers and tailors, gathered to buy and sell material during the Bartholomew Fair. The fair’s name came from the nearby ancient church of St Bartholomew the Great, which ran from 1133 to 1855, taking place every August 24. It was held within the Priory Gates. Towards the end however the original purpose of the fair was forgotten, becoming a excuse from drinking and licentious behaviour.
