Old Operating Theatre Museum and Herb Garret

In the attic of St Thomas’ Church in Southwark, the Old Operating Theatre Museum and Herb Garret offers a view of medicine through a place that still bears traces of its practice. The historic operating theater and the space used for medicinal herbs bring together two aspects of healthcare: surgical intervention and the preparation of remedies.

The operating theater opened in 1822 to treat patients at St Thomas’ Hospital and teach medical students. A visit places those practices before modern anesthesia and antisepsis. The space was closed after the hospital moved in 1862, rediscovered in 1956, and has operated as an independent museum since 1962, according to the institution’s published history.

Surgical instruments, anatomical preparations, and original documents give context to this past. The Herb Garret extends the visit into herbal medicine and early pharmacy, exploring the materials used to prepare treatments. The collection makes changes in medicine understandable through specific objects and spaces, on a more intimate scale than a large general museum.

The institution runs programs for schools, universities, and professionals, alongside group visits and workshops. A digital guide provides additional explanations during the visit. The museum also makes its facilities available for activities and filming, combining preservation, public education, and cultural uses of the building.

The usual entrance requires climbing a 52-step spiral staircase, and there are uneven surfaces inside. The museum describes assistance options that require advance arrangements, including occasional use of a small lift. It has no space to store suitcases. These details are part of visiting a collection housed in a historic building, particularly for travelers with luggage or visitors who need mobility support.