Hogarth murals on show again for first time in centuries

They had remained almost unseen for 300 years, but now two of William Hogarth's masterpiece murals can be viewed by the public for the first time.

- Lanre Bakare

The north wing at St Bartholomew's hospital in London, which contains The Pool of Bethesda and The Good Samaritan - two large-scale murals from the 1730s by the English artist - has opened after a £9.5m restoration project.

The satirist's depictions of the two biblical stories feature 2.1-metre-high figures.

Will Palin, the chief executive of the Barts Heritage charity, said he hoped the restored areas of the hospital grounds become a must-see for fine art fans.

He said: "They've never been publicly accessible, you could [see them] on special tours and you could get little glimpses but the doors have never been thrown open to the public like we've done ... we want to create a new visitor attraction in the city."