OMG, what can I say about this little hidden gem in London? All I can say is that you should definitely go and visit it; it’s well worth the trip! Tucked away just a 5-minute walk from London Bridge train station, this gem is easy to miss if you're not looking for it.
Once we arrived, we noticed they had a great entry and exit system since there’s only one way in and one way out. After climbing the very narrow 52 stairs, we entered a small reception area. The cost for me and my 6-year-old was £18, and you can spend as much time as you want exploring the museum. We must have spent over an hour there, and we even had an interesting talk about leeches!
The museum is amazing, filled with so much history and plenty to read. There are some areas where photography is not allowed because they contain real human bones. My daughter also got to make a nice-smelling bag with lavender and other ingredients, which was how people used to keep illness at bay by having something pleasant to smell.
Even though the operating theater is small, it has a strange yet calm feeling about it. I sat there for about half an hour, just reflecting on everything that had occurred in that space and all the people who learned how to operate there.
As for a bit of backstory on this little hidden gem, it is Europe’s oldest surviving operating theater, located in the attic of St. Thomas Church, which dates back to 1688. Originally, the roof space was used for herbalists and to prepare medical plants, and it once housed over 54,000 leeches due to its dry and elevated environment.
From 1882 to 1862, a small section was converted into the operating theater, mainly used for female patients from the Dorcas Ward located behind the door of the attic. This was a more convenient location than taking them down multiple floors for operations. Most surgeries before 1840 were performed without anesthesia. The theater was no longer used after St. Thomas Hospital moved to Lambeth in 1862. The attic was sealed off around 1956 and rediscovered when Royan Russell accessed it through a tower. The museum officially opened in 1926.
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