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Bartholomew Fair
Fair in London / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
For the play by Ben Jonson, see Bartholomew Fair (play).
The Bartholomew Fair was one of London's pre-eminent summer charter fairs. A charter for the fair was granted by King Henry I to fund the Priory of St Bartholomew in 1133. It took place each year on 24 August within the precincts of the Priory at West Smithfield, London until 1855 when it was banned due to causing public disturbances.
![Crowds throng the streets filled with rides and lined with gaily lit buildings.](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/ca/Microcosm_of_London_Plate_008_-_Bartholomew_Fair_%28colour%29.jpg/640px-Microcosm_of_London_Plate_008_-_Bartholomew_Fair_%28colour%29.jpg)