The Old Operating Theatre
St Thomas’ Church, 9A St Thomas’ Street, London, SE1 9RY
Housed in the attic of the early eighteenth-century church of the old St Thomas’ Hospital, this atmospheric museum offers a unique insight into the history of medicine and surgery. The original timber framed Herb Garret was once used to dry and store herbs for patients’ medicines and in 1822 an operating theatre was included. Predating anaesthetics and antiseptics, it is the oldest surviving surgical theatre in Europe.
The museum is open every Thursday-Sunday from 10.30am until 5pm, with last admission at 4.15pm.
Download map