Old Operating Theatre

Hidden in the roof of a church, a 300 year old herb garret houses the only surviving 19th century operating theatre, complete with wooden operating table and observation stands, from which spectators witnessed surgery performed without anaesthesia or antiseptics. The oak beamed garret was also used for the storage and curing of medicinal herbs.

Visit www.thegarret.org.uk for more information.

Contact Us

Old Operating Theatre, Museum and Herb Garret
9a St Thomas's Street
London
SE1 9RY
Tel. 020 7188 2679

Visitor Information

Opening Hours
Daily 10:30-17:00

Admission charges vary

Accessibility: Disabled access limited

London Bridge
London Bridge
17, 21, 22a, 35, 40, 43, X43, 47, 48, 133, 344, 501, 505, 521, P3, P11, E1, D11

Exhibitions

Current exhibition
Fringe Zoology: the specimens of Alex CF
09 August - 01 September 2012

Alex CF exhibit Artist Alex CF is curator and custodian of the Merrylin Cryptid Collection, the life's work of enigmatic 19th century naturalist, Thomas Theodore Merrylin. The collection boasts biological specimens of creatures thought to be merely the stuff of legend - from vampire research cases to the preserved corpses of dragons. Alex has uncovered fascinating and often frightening specimens, the trappings of biologists and explorers whose research was shunned by mainstream academia.

The Old Operating Theatre is the perfect setting for these bizarre cryptozoological cadavers. A unique museum in the heart of London, it boasts a veritable wunderkammer of medical apparatus, artifacts and ephemera of the 19th century, along with an actual victorian emergency room.

Alex's work has been featured in a number of well-known publications both online and in print, such as Weird Tales, Bizarre, Fortean Times, and io9.

Tell Us About Your Visit

Very Interesting 31 July 2009

We loved every minute. Need to go back soon.

Amazing 14 November 2009

Best kept secret in London