The Old Operating Theatre Museum
The Old Operating Theatre is a unique museum providing a fascinating glimpse into the early days of surgery in the early 1800s
This extremely unusual museum is located up a very narrow flight of stairs inside the garret of St. Thomas's Church which was also the original location of St. Thomas's Hospital. Visitors to this lesser known London attraction find it very intriguing and they highly recommend it. The Old Operating Theatre is one of the oldest operating theatres still in existence. Opened in 1822, the patients were women from the adjoining women's hospital.
Procedures were performed without anaesthetics so they were done as rapidly as possible while the patient was subdued by alcohol or opiates. Later they began to use ether or chloroform. Patients put up with students watching the operation in the Theatre, as they were generally poor, and this allowed them to receive surgery from top surgeons that they could in no way afford otherwise.
Cleanliness was 'sacred', however the risk of death was still very high due to the lack of available treatments for infection and the shock of surgery.
The Operating Theatre closed in 1862 when the hospital was moved to a new location and it remained undiscovered for nearly 100 years until 1957. It opened to the public as a museum in 1962.
The Old Operating Theatre is open daily from 10:30 am to 5:00 pm except for December 15th-January 5th. There is a small admission charge.
This attraction is also close to Shakespeare's Globe Theatre and Tower Bridge so you may want to visit them while in the area.
For more information about the The Old Operating Theatre including admission charges and hours visit their official website.
Facts For Your Visit
Fee: YesOld Operating Theatre Hours:
Opening hours may differ on holidays
- Monday: Closed
- Tuesday: Closed
- Wednesday: Closed
- Thursday: Closed
- Friday: 10:30 AM – 5:00 PM
- Saturday: 10:30 AM – 5:00 PM
- Sunday: 10:30 AM – 5:00 PM
Address: 9a St Thomas St, London SE1 9RY, UK
Phone: 020 7188 2679
Official Website: Old Operating Theatre
Old Operating Theatre Reviews
Rated out of 5
Really lovely museum. Staff was very helpful and knowledgeable. The displays were well researched and written. The talk about the leeches was very informative. Be sure to observe the collection regarding women and health/medical processes. Definitely worth a visit!
Michael Hatton - 4 months ago
Now it’s my favourite museum in London. The atmosphere is really good and it feels like I went to the past. I’m also really interested in medicine and I found out interesting things there. And the small shop with biology themed plushie toys was nice. I also bought a pen that looks like a bone and a book.
Vera Eg. - 7 months ago
A really interesting museum that not a lot of people knows about! The volunteers in the museum were really nice and passionate about the museum and had a lot of interesting things to say about that! If you like history or medicine or even if you just want to discover something unusual and learn new things about medecine, it is the pace to go !
Eloïse Lsrn - 7 months ago
Directions
| Tube Line | Nearest Station | Walking Time |
|---|---|---|
| Jubilee and Northern Lines | London Bridge Station | 1 MInute |
How to get to Old Operating Theatre by Tube
From London Bridge Station exit onto Borough High Street and walk to your right(north) then immediately right onto St. Thomas Street. The Old Operating Theatre is just ahead to your left on St. Thomas Street.
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Photo Gallery
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Inside the Old Operating Theatre cc licensed photo by Matt From London -
Photo Credit: amandabhslater - cc license via Flickr -
Photo Credit: amandabhslater - cc license via Flickr -
Photo Credit: amandabhslater - cc license via Flickr -
Photo Credit: amandabhslater - cc license via Flickr -
Photo Credit: amandabhslater - cc license via Flickr -
Photo Credit: amandabhslater - cc license via Flickr -
Photo Credit: amandabhslater - cc license via Flickr -
Photo Credit: amandabhslater - cc license via Flickr -
Photo Credit: Donnchadh H - cc license via Flickr
