Historic site
The Old Operating Theatre Museum and Herb Garret
48 locals recommend,
Why locals recommend it
It’s well worth climbing the tiny spiral staircase to this 19th century operating theatre in the attic of St Thomas’s Church—you can really imagine gruesome scenes in the horseshoe-shaped theatre. The herb garret is stuffed with interesting and sinister objects, including medical specimens, skeletons, and some truly terrifying operating equipment. The entire space was lost in 1862 when St Thomas’s Hospital moved and the entrances to the theatre were blocked up. In 1956 it was rediscovered by a researcher, and it’s the only 19th century operating theatre to have survived in Europe.
Location
9a St Thomas St
London, England
Tips from locals
The Old Operating Theatre Museum is a museum of surgical history and the oldest surviving operating theatres in the UK dating to end 17th century. It was part of old St Thomas Hospital.
The Old Operating Theatre, Museum and Herb Garret is the oldest operating theatre (emergency room) in Britain.
If your interested in development of medicine this is the museum for you. Near Shard and London Bridge.
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