Old Operating Theatre Museum & Herb Garret
The Old Operating Theatre is Britain’s oldest operating theatre and was used between 1821 and 1862 in the days before anaesthetic and antiseptic surgery. A visit to the museum is an experience that gives school pupils a profound insight into the past, and which can stimulate a whole range of issues about past and present health regimes.
The museum ties in with the national curriculum at various levels. It looks at medicine through time as well as links to history both of the local are and Victorians. Science and numeracy is also looked at through the combination of medical science and herbs.
A visit to the Old Operating Theatre and Herb Garret will take 75 minutes. Group sizes are between 10 and 60. Groups must be booked in advance.
KS2
There is a lot of information connected to the Victorians. Pupils can participate in a reconstruction of a 19th century operation, and a chance to hear about the wider context of health care in the 19th century.
KS3
There are useful and interesting facts on Britain 1750-1900.
KS4
Learn about Medicine through Time syllabus (History GCSE). The staff will reconstruct the atmosphere of an operating theatre in the times before anaesthetic and antiseptic surgery.
There are hands-on activities in the herb garret, which would ideally suit a cross-curricula visit. This is designed to give an insight into life before the modern age. It deals with weighing, counting, dealing with proportion an, parts of the body and the qualities of different materials. This programme is designed for KS1 or KS2 with classes up to 30. The cross cirricula themes include personal, social and health education, art, technology, history, science, mathematics, English and citizenship.
The museum also offers a guided walk, which looks at the conditions in Victorian London, with a particular focus on how conditions affected public health.
Contact
Educational Bookings: curator@thegarret.org.uk
Old Operating Theatre, Museum and Herb Garret, 9a St Thomas's St, London, SE1 9RY, 020 7188 2679
