The Old Operating Theatre Museum and Herb Garret

Originally the chapel of the medieval St Thomas’ Hospital, the church is the oldest surviving part of the hospital in Southwark. In the 18th century, the attic was used as an herb garret. In the 19th century, the herb garret was turned into an operating theatre for the women’s ward. Florence Nightingale started the world’s first secular, professional School of Nursing in the old St Thomas’ Hospital in 1860. Today, this atmospheric museum offers a unique insight into the history of medicine and surgery.