A date for your diaries, as the Old Operating Theatre close to London Bridge, will be marking the 60th anniversary of its opening to the public with a free entry day.

(c) ianVisits

The operating theatre was closed in 1862 when St Thomas’s Hospital moved to Waterloo, and then entirely forgotten — until 1956, when organologist and antiquarian Raymond Russell rediscovered it while investigating the church’s attic and with support from surgeons and medical practitioners of the day, the Museum that now occupies the site opened in 1962. To visit to the museum this year is a double anniversary – the 200th year the theatre opened, and the 60th anniversary of its reopening as a museum.

Being based in the roof of a former church, entry is up a narrow winding stone staircase – access via a lift is possible if arranged in advance — and then into the wooden rafters of a room packed full of medical tools and ever so many medicinal herbs.

(c) ianVisits

The museum usually costs £7.50 to visit — but on Thursday 27th October, entry will be free for everyone.

Entry is up a narrow spiral staircase as the operating theatre was built above an old church, so space is a bit limited, and they do warn that they may need to limit visitor numbers if it gets busy.

The museum will be open for free from 10:30am to 5pm with last entry at 4:15pm. No booking is needed.

The museum is on St Thomas Street, a short walk from London Bridge station and Borough High Street.

It’s a fantastically atmospheric space, all woody and smelly and filled with Victorian bottles filled with poisons (don’t drink), baskets of spices and herbs (do sniff), and a few skeletons to scare the kids (don’t touch). It’s the sort of space that people brought up on Harry Potter will probably love to visit.

A visit to the museum is to take in a lost world that was on the cusp between folk medicine and modern science. You can visit to learn about early medicines and surgery, or just to soak up the wonderfully atmospheric roof rafters space it occupies.

If you want to visit on another date, you can book tickets in advance from here.

(c) ianVisits

NEWSLETTER

Be the first to know what's on in London, and the latest news published on ianVisits.

You can unsubscribe at any time from my weekly emails.

Tagged with:
SUPPORT THIS WEBSITE

This website has been running now for over a decade, and while advertising revenue contributes to funding the website, it doesn't cover the costs. That is why I have set up a facility with DonorBox where you can contribute to the costs of the website and time invested in writing and research for the news articles.

It's very similar to the way The Guardian and many smaller websites are now seeking to generate an income in the face of rising costs and declining advertising.

Whether it's a one-off donation or a regular giver, every additional support goes a long way to covering the running costs of this website, and keeping you regularly topped up doses of Londony news and facts.

If you like what you read on here, then please support the website here.

Thank you

2 comments
  1. Eliza says:
    18 October 2022 at 10:23 am

    Is this fully open now after it’s refurb?

Home >> News >> Museums