In the attic of St Thomas’ Church on St Thomas Street in Southwark, this small museum brings together a 19th-century operating theatre and the Herb Garret where medicinal plants were once stored. The theatre, built in 1822, preserves its wooden operating table and raised seating for observers. You can also explore historic surgical instruments, pharmacy objects and displays on herbal medicine. Staff demonstrations, including talks about leech therapy, add context to the exhibits. It is a vivid stop for anyone curious about how medicine was practised before modern anaesthesia and antisepsis.
A theatre in the church attic
The museum occupies the roof space of St Thomas’ Church in Southwark, on St Thomas Street. The church was connected with the old St Thomas’ Hospital, and the Herb Garret was used to dry and store plants for medicines. An operating theatre was added to the garret in 1822, as part of the hospital’s women’s ward.
The theatre’s layout makes its name easy to understand. Its raised viewing seats allowed students and other observers to watch operations around the operating area. A wooden operating table remains at the centre of the room. The space offers a close look at surgical teaching before anaesthesia and antiseptic practice were established.
Surgery and its instruments
Displays trace the history of surgery through the tools and objects used in earlier medical practice. Surgical instruments sit alongside pharmacy items and pathological specimens, including preserved organs. The exhibits give visitors a sense of the conditions in which operations took place before modern pain relief and infection control.
The material can be graphic. If you are sensitive to medical imagery, take the exhibits at your own pace. The collection also covers the history of women’s health and medical treatment, a subject worth allowing time to explore alongside the theatre itself.
The Herb Garret and demonstrations
The garret’s earlier purpose comes through in displays about medicinal herbs and herbal remedies. The collection includes historical objects and information about how plants were used in medicine. It provides a different perspective from the surgical instruments, connecting the theatre to the wider history of care at the hospital.
Staff demonstrations and talks explain historical practices, including the use of leeches. These sessions can add useful detail to the objects on display; check what is happening during your visit. The museum is compact, so the staircase and the small rooms shape the experience. The standard route uses a steep, narrow spiral staircase, while a single-person lift is available for wheelchair access. Ask staff for assistance if you need to use it.
Perguntas frequentes
Where is the Old Operating Theatre Museum?
It is at 9a St Thomas Street in Southwark, inside the attic of St Thomas’ Church.
When was the operating theatre built?
The operating theatre was added to the Herb Garret in 1822 as part of the women’s ward at St Thomas’ Hospital.
Is the museum accessible by wheelchair?
A single-person lift is available for wheelchair access. The usual entrance route has a steep, narrow spiral staircase, so ask staff for help with the lift.
What can you see at the museum?
The displays include the historic operating theatre, its wooden table and observer seating, surgical instruments, pharmacy objects, preserved specimens and exhibits on herbal medicine.
