What can I say that hasn't already been said. A true hidden gem, the entrance is not very obvious but keep those eyes peeled and you will find it. Be aware that it is a narrow spiral staircase up to the top with nowhere to stop, but take your time and you will be rewarded. Up in the loft of the old apothecary store is a great little museum showing how far medicine has come along. Plenty of interesting items to see and read about, then there is the crown jewel of the museum. The amazingly well preserved operating theatre with it's recently renovated glass ceiling. There is a small shop near the counter with some fun items for kids and big kids. The staff are all welcoming and friendly. Highly recommended that you visit here if you are looking for something different.

Great small museum of operations especially Victorian times. Takes 45 mins or so. Interesting facts and displays. Better for older kids 10+

This is a truly fascinating place for anyone interested medical/surgical practises before modern medicine of the 20th Century. Quite gruesome at times, you realise that not only were diagnostics quite primitive (and often wrong), but the treatments or operations could make you very sick, or in the case of surgery, kill you. This is a real gem of a place. Entrance is through a narrow staircase so don't bring bulky bags with you. Entrance is controlled through a red/green traffic light system to let you know when you can go up the stairs at your allotted time.

Tucked away up a steep & winding staircase, is this compact museum of medicine from days gone by. Definitely worth a visit if you enjoy anything grisly. Makes one feel grateful for modern medicine.

A small but nonetheless very interesting museum with little AR elements and scratch cards to make stories more interactive. Mind - this is not for the faint-hearted. Illustrations are very explicit and they also got specimens of organs and a real skeleton. If you like stuff like that, this is just the place for you!

Up a very narrow spiral staircase to a fascinating early medical collection in the wood attic of this old church.. lots of info about the use of herbs, grisly operations, diagnostics etc. Then the actual operating theatre in is ranked seats so medical students could watch and learn. Keats was a student here until he sensibly decided to be a poet! I loved the bandage dispenser!

A really fascinating museum, it's fairly small but you can easily spend an hour here. Lot's if interesting and slightly gruesome information on how operations used to be performed! Access is via a very small spiral staircase and is not great for anyone with mobility issues.

Unbelievable how this was forgotten. Absolutely mind-blowing that this place still exists in an attic space. Climb up the very narrow spiral staircase and have a look for yourself. A few minutes walk from Borough tube station.

Fantastic afternoon had on Tuesday doing the family workshop. All ages enjoyed the activity and interesting facts given along the way. The museum and operating theatre are well laid out and full of information. Our workshop was taken by an amazing lady who had such passion and respect.

If you're looking for how Botany has been used in medicine then this museum is a great place to go. If you want to pretend to have your leg cut off by your 7 year old son then this is amazing. Plus it is close to Borough market for food.

I read that someone said it only took them 15 minutes to look around. Well it took us 17 minutes. I also saw that it had some 5 star reviews. Some people must be easily pleased as it really is poor, with hardly anything there. Cost us £20 for the two of us - the same price if there's 6 of you - what the hell is that pricing policy about? I felt a little embarrassed for the staff as they must know what poor value for money it is and the lack of anything much to look at.

The Old Operating Theatre Museum is quite an intimate experience for the visitor, especially those with medical background. Fascinating old medicinal techniques and procedures that advanced over time (the God for that!). I definitely recommend it. Very helpful reception and easy to navigate throughout. Not suitable for wheelchair access. It’s currently open only Fridays and Saturdays advanced booking only. There’s a traffic light system at the door to signal when you’re allowed in. No toilets on site. Ticket prices £10.

Such a wonderful little place. The girl who welcomed us in was absolutely lovely and helpful, the museum itself really makes you feel like you've stepped back in time , the smells of the herds and spices of the apothecary make you feel so immersed in St Thomas' Hospital. Wonderful museum I'll be telling everyone about!

Really small, fun museum! There were some younger kids and their family there when I went, and they stormed through it in about 15 minutes. So if you’re not that interested in reading all the signs and checking out the rows of items about medical history, this would be a fast turnaround the room for you. If you’re a museum person, you’ll get plenty out of it and can take your time looking around! The VR element isn’t set up really well, it’s just a video of a man talking. Not anything fancy, but overall a lovely little museum and a must visit for anyone interested in medical history.

This place is straight out of Robert Louis Stevenson. You can picture Dr Jekyll walking through the old operating theatre to get to his chemistry laboratory and turn himself into Mr Hyde. Very evocative and interesting. The staff were engaging and the building is curious and fun. Definitely worth a visit.

Excellent museum, located up a spiral staircase that would be difficult for those with mobility issues to ascend. A fascinating insight into the profession, which would be of particular interest for those in the medical field

I loved this little place. Really quirky and interesting. A nice find while looking for something to do near our hotel

Very informative and fun ! Very narrow stairs to get to top so be careful

For a person in the medical field was really cool. Soon liked it husband wasn't impressed. As an RN in surgery it was cool. Old instruments, apothecary stuff. The theatre itself was cool.

Just a fantastic experience from start to finish! Total step back in time! I'm only glad we have moved on in surgery, as some of the instruments used were scary. Staff were great and very informative. Definitely will be returning!

This museum is an absolute gem. You would barely know it’s here (it was hidden for over 100 years and you can see how!). I urge you to make sure you’re there for one of the talks in the theatre. It’s both insightful, gory and beautifully put together. So fantastic to see how far medicine and surgery has come. Thank goodness for modern medicine and the pioneers who got us here!

Perfect, atmospheric experience for halloween. The website warns of a climb up a narrow, spiral staircase when booking, which was delightfully ancient and for me, added to our visit, as I could "ooo" and "aah" at all the original carpentry. The museum was fabulously gruesome with beautifully preserved organs on display (especially fascinating for me as I work within organ donation) and a fantastic collection of original surgical tools and medical implements to ponder over with an aromatic musty, herb infused smell in the air. The theatre itself was awe inspiring, horrifying and fascinating at the same time. The central operating table conjured fearsome thoughts, especially with its deep gauges still visible today. As I reminded my children, its only through all the horrific pain and sacrifice from others and what we now think of as barbaric procedures, did we get to where we are today. All the staff we knowledgeable, friendly and welcoming and efficient covid procedures in place. Very good value for a London attraction, if you can appreciate the history of the place.

Was a pretty good museum in a small space near London Bridge. There are some minor interactive displays and a lady dressed as an apothecary you can talk to. Some interesting old medical instruments and the operating room itself. Worth a look if you are bored but I wouldn't go too far out of your way for a visit.

Really fascinating place with an excellently curated collection of artifacts from a wide time period. Such a gem to find the original space that has been used for real medical work hundreds of years ago, and the space is used really well to display the many exhibits. A special mention must go to the extremely knowledgeable and enthusiastic volunteers who help make the experience come alive for visitors of all ages. I would highly recommend it for anyone with an interest in medicine and history.

Great little museum, friendly staff, and interesting. Stairs are a bit narrow and scary, not suitable for everyone. Ticket prices are OK. No parking close by, just take the trains / underground.

It may sound gruesome to visit the oldest living operating theatre and sit around watching where women would have had amputations 200 years ago, but it is a fascinating history of health care and surgery. In the attic of an old church one finds the herb Garrett which holds a great collection of exhibits and leads into the theatre with tiered standing galleries for people to watch the surgery, sometimes as students but often as paying spectators. The 52 step climb can be a bit daunting but it is better than it sounds and there is a small lift if you can't manage the climb.

Be prepared for the narrow windy staircase! My third visit here and it's an incredibly interesting museum not many know about.

Perfect place to visit. Just the entrance stairs are a great experience. 😉 A little bit creepy, a little bit scary, but a beautiful space where the atmosphere of old times breathes on you.

Very interesting museum and lots of cool artefacts and information available. Lost a star only because of the club downstairs absolutely blaring music out at 1pm on a Saturday with lots of shouting- makes it harder to read & concentrate (not to sound like a pensioner lol). Such a shame about that. However, very glad I visited, great place for a surgery & medical history enthusiast

Pretty cool. Very small staircase to access. Didn't bother with the audio tour app and enjoyed the visit just fine.

It's a really interesting museum we could learn some special knowledge about medicine that we couldn't learn in our daily life. ＼(*T▽T*)／

Good experience but it's small and expensive

(Translated by Google) Very quaint and well set up. I am a pharmacy student and it was really interesting to see how medical, surgical and pharmaceutical practices have changed so radically in the space of a century. Highly recommended. (Original) Molto caratteristico e ben allestito. Sono una studentessa di farmacia ed è stato davvero interessante vedere come nell'arco di un secolo siano cambiate così radicalmente le pratiche mediche, chirurgiche e farmaceutiche. Vivamente consigliato.

It's quite a quirky and cool place

(Translated by Google) A place of interest to take a while if you are a little curious. It is not a great museum but it is good to witness the room where the medicine classes were given. (Original) Un sitio de interés para echar un rato si eres un poco curioso. No es un gran museo pero si está bien presenciar la sala donde daban las clases de medicina.

Informative and enriching experience. Learnt a lot about old medicine and operation practices.

Truly informative, full of info, not for the faint of heart for a few things but all in all a little gem of history

Pretty awesome operating theater with interesting and morbid artifacts

Loved the unique museum! Such a fascinating insight into how far the field of medicine has come!

Lovely collections. Will definitely visit again. Would be a cool place for a gathering or meeting

(Translated by Google) Very interesting museum! But NOT for handicapped or weak people! Because you have to go up a flight of stairs and there is no elevator or anything. However, once you have achieved it, a really interesting exhibition. (Original) Sehr interessantes Museum! Jedoch NICHT für gehbehinderte oder schwache Menschen! Denn man muss eine Treppe nach oben gehen und es ist kein Aufzug oder so vorhanden. Jedoch wenn man es erreicht hat, echt ne interessante Ausstellung.

This place is surprisingly tiny. But all in all a great experience and some fantastic history to learn

It was compact but interesting to walk around for 30 mins. Perfect for pre or post lunch outing.

Should have taken some Friends, it's 20 Pounds for up to 6 People, which would be a fair Price. But for the 2 of us, definitely not worth it

Expensive if you are not in a group. Its kinda amazing how far the medical advancement has come through the years.

Great and very interesting place with lot of history.

Absolutely fabulous to visit. Really interesting to see how people got healthcare in the past....made me feel lucky to be alive! Time your visit for a talk if you can (although the details are not for the feignt hearted!).

Very good collection of antique medical procedures, tools and drugs.

Lovely unusual welcoming museum. Covid secure. Top tip: download a QR reader before you get there for finding out more about the exhibits. Fascinating to learn about the place, herbs and surgical instruments... anyone who was anyone reinvented the forceps! Take the staircase slowly otherwise you'll get dizzy!

DISCLAIMER: I've not been but hope this review is still relevant. I don't normally write reviews such as this because I am reviewing a place I've not even been to but I want to review the pricing not the experience so hopefully you'll see this as a helpful and valid review. I was going to book a visit then saw the price. £20 for what is basically a small room???? REALLY? As others have said, it would take about 15 mins to visit. This is poor value even for rip off London. I might be imagining it but I am sure I remember this place being 6 or 8 pounds just a few years back??? Does this attraction really think £20 is worth the money??? And that is just for me! So if a couple goes that's £40! I will never visit this place and I am sure many others won't visit it either at this price. Maybe some tourists that have no concept of how much £20 is. What an awful rip off. Disgusting pricing. I'm sorry to say this but AVOID. If you are a tourist there are many other places that are far better spending your money at. This is just a crazy rip off price. I hope the attraction has a re-think.

Was quite disappointed in this place. It was a nice museum but the content was pretty limited and it was very loud when we were there. There was a large crowd of students in the museum just sitting around talking loudly, and the props available in the operatint theater seemed to encourage the playful atmosphere. It was very difficult to read any of the exhibits and the staff there didn't seem to do anything to try and gain control over the place.

What a tucked away little gem this is. If you are interested in what surgery was like before anaesthesia and antiseptics, a visit here is a must. Situated in the attic of the old St Thomas' Church, accessible via a 52 step wooden spiral staircase, was the operating theatre for the poor. Medical students would gather around to watch operations / amputations and observe surgical skills. Also in the attic is the former Herb Garret of the hospital, where herbs were dried and cured, later to be used as medicine for the patients. Our visit here left us fascinated and in awe.

You must visit this quirky operating theatre and herb garret. The herb garret reminds one of Hogwarts, it is situated in an old creaky attic. You will see herbs, potions, apothecary bottles and Victorian operating instruments. The Old Operating Theatre is wonderful to see, you really are transported back in time. The spiral staircase is steep and it is a bit dark inside the herb garret but apart from that it is utterly charming and extremely interesting.

Access by a steep and a cramped staircase which adds charm despite the fact that it may not be practical for everyone. It is interesting and takes place in an attic. It can be quick as well as long if one is interested in each medical device used in the past. The atmosphere is strong, especially in the old operating room. Interesting for lovers of original discoveries. May be disturbing if one is embarrassed by very rustic medical devices exposed.

Charming little museum that I would recommend everyone visits. They also run a great selection of talks, which I really missing getting to go to at the moment! They staff are always lovely and helpful.

Second visit after over ten years- still loved it.

(Translated by Google) It's curious. It looks fast (Original) Es curioso. Se ve rápido

An interesting and informative visit. Staff were helpful and friendly. The talk at the end which is held in the old operating theatre is particularly good. Well worth a visit.

Outstanding lecture about the early history of surgery. Interesting collection of instruments and medical 'cures' in the small museum attached.

For everyone who is interested to see an old operating theatre.

(Translated by Google) A small museum which illustrates well how much medicine has progressed since the 19th century ... Fortunately for us! The price-performance ratio is not up to our expectations, however: the visit unfortunately lasts only half an hour, even taking all its time ... (Original) Un petit musée qui illustre bien combien la médecine a progressé depuis le 19eme siècle ... Heureusement pour nous ! Le rapport qualité-prix n'est cependant pas a la hauteur de nos espérances : la visite ne dure malheureusement qu'une petite demi heure, même en prenant tout son temps ...

Highly recommend the talk on weekends, really gives you an understanding of operations for doctors, students and patients. All bought to life in an actual old operating theatre. The little museum is good too, but you’ll get more out of your visit listening to the talk. Note: the stairs up are very narrow!

Quirky & lots of interesting exhibits. Even my teenage children were engrossed.

Fairly small museum but rich in fascinating history. The staircase is very small and winding so not suitable for anyone who may have problems with lots of stairs.

Fascinating but beware steep stairs!

There are many instruments on display, herbs to touch and smell, old photos and jars of bygone medicaments & the operating theatre itself is amazing.

Fascinating history of the surgeons work with lots of their equipment and medicines, BUT it has a very narrow and steep spiral staircase so not accessible for everybody

Enjoyed this more than I thought I would. Alot of history. Would recommend.

This was definitely one of the best experiences I've had in London. The host Monica was enthusiastic, passionate and lively. She brought the history to life, which there is a lot of! 10/10.

Normally it would cost to go in but went to the FLESH exhibition which included free entry so got a chance to go up these spiral wooden stairs. It was a lovely place up there and the performance was good.

Highly reccomend a visit - especially attending one of the weekly talks ! Very interesting !

absolutely incredible

Really interesting displays of real medical items from the past. An excellent hour spent here. Small but well worth the visit.

Fantastic museum... Well worth a visit. Fascinating.

A museum that is a little bit different, low cost to enter and a good way to spend 45minutes to an hour.

Lovely little walk around experience. Lots of interesting things to learn and the apothecary is filled with wonderful smells. Also a very sweet gift shop with humourously titled edible treats.

Intriguing venue and well worth a visit

Well worth an hour or two of your time to explore this recently rediscovered gem. If you manage to catch one of the many talks then all the better.

A great museum for those that don't want to visit the usual museums and have an interest in the history of medicine. Did make me feel a bit nauseous seeing the cuts in the wood from past amputations, but such an interesting venue. Fully worth it!

Very interesting. Yay for medical advancements

Visited for an after-hours event.The curator Monica was very knowledgeable and entertaining. She really enjoys her job. Fascinating look at a unique piece of history.

Excellent little museum, particularly if you are interested in the history of medicine. Lots to look at and the staff were helpful and friendly.

Good