Throughout our 900 years, St Barts the Great has been at the epicentre of major British events. This unique history makes us the ideal place to learn about this part of London and our social heritage. However, until now we have not had the space or facilities to enable us to welcome and accommodate parties of students, particularly school children, in a secure environment. Our 900th Anniversary plans include a break-out space for school children in our crypt, creating a warm and secure learning environment from a damp and dark basement, with direct access to our garden and access via the stairs and a lift.

We will landscape and level much of the south gardens, inserting a ramp from the crypt door to the garden level and widening paths to enable wheelchair access.  We are fortunate in that the gardens wrap around the whole of the eastern end of St Barts – the Ladychapel, thus enabling our visitors to access them via the crypt and exit them via the lift up to the Apse, or vice versa.

As part of our educational package, we will curate a permanent exhibition based on the key documents and objects uncovered during the recent, but as yet incomplete, cataloguing of our archive. This will be located close to the entrance to the Cloister, thus accessible to every one of our visitors.

Budget £850,000