Experience a 19th Century operating theatre

The Old Operating Theatre Museum is an original 19th Century operating theatre, purpose-built in 1822 in the roof of St Thomas's Church, Southwark, and was formerly part of St Thomas's Hospital. The theatre was built in the church's herb garret, a space used by the St Thomas's Apothecary to store and cure herbs.


In 1862, on Florence Nightingale's advice, the Hospital began a to move to its present site at Lambeth and the operating theatre was closed down and effectively boarded up in the roofspace. There it remained hidden until it was rediscovered in 1956 by Raymond Russell, who was researching the history of the Hospital and decided to have a poke around in the attic.

The theatre is now a museum and is open daily from 10.30am until 5pm. Entrance is £5.60.

For more information, visit http://www.thegarret.org.uk

Click here to see the entrance location on a map.

_{^Picture from Flickr courtesy of M@ Londonist^}