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London’s Millennia of Medical Progress Private Historical Tour

5.0
Free cancellation
Manual confirmation

London’s Millennia of Medical Progress Private Historical Tour

5.0
Next available dates
Wed
Dec 10
Thu
Dec 11
Fri
Dec 12
Bestseller

London’s Millennia of Progress: A Medical History - Bodysnatchers to Vaccines!

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USD 250.14

Old Operating Theatre Museum

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Old Operating Theatre & Museum: In the attic of the 18thC church of the old St Thomas' Hospital, this museum offers a unique insight into medicine & surgery.
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USD 223.8

Foundling Museum

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Foundling Museum: The Foundling Museum which tells the story of the Britain's first home for children at risk of abandonment.
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USD 223.8

St Bart's Hospital Museum

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St Bart's Hospital Museum: The museum, based in a working hospital in the City of London, exhibits objects and archives dating back to the 12th century.
Pickup included

From

USD 204.04

Highlights

Nowhere in the world has been quite so important in the field of medicine than London. Historically, if only for its long history filled with disasters and diseases, but in the last few centuries it has also been the home of science and some of the most incredible jumps in medicine and healthcare anywhere on Earth.


This tour will visit plenty of sites that have helped change the world as well as visiting some of the spots that were home to some of the countless medical and social problems in history. In many ways, this tour isn’t just a Medical History Tour but also a fabulous alternative tour of London.


We will see where vaccines and medicines were invented, visit the first operating theatres, orphanages, social care, mental institutions and hospitals in the western world. Follow in the footsteps of medical pioneers and visit the sights of some of the biggest healthcare disasters and underhand medical events as we go from the herbal medicine & crusaders to COVID-19 & the modern day.

Itinerary

  • Bloomsbury

    35 minsAdmission Ticket Free
    We start off in beautiful Bloomsbury famed for its garden squares and creative spirit with a history of philanthropy
  • The Foundling Museum

    5 minsAdmission Ticket Not Included
    Learn the incredible story of how this pioneering children's facility was created by a hardened Yorkshire sailor. (Entry availability able if you pick the relevant option).
  • Great Ormond Street

    5 minsAdmission Ticket Free
    The world leading children's hospital with its little known connection to Peter Pan.
  • Queen Square

    5 minsAdmission Ticket Free
    This small garden square is where Florence Nightingale set up her pioneering company of nurses before the Crimean War.
  • St Giles-in-the-Fields Church

    10 minsAdmission Ticket Included
    Sat in the midst of what was a terrible rookery, these are where the first cases of the Plague were recorded in London.
  • Soho Square

    10 minsAdmission Ticket Free
    Whilst also the home of big names such as Paul McCartney and various showbiz offices it is here we will find the home of Mary Seacole.
  • John Snow Saloon

    5 minsAdmission Ticket Free
    This wonderful old pub is named after the doctor who deduced how bacteria and germs were spreading through the water supply. His famous water pump survives in the street.
  • Carnaby Street

    10 minsAdmission Ticket Free
    As we transition from one leg of the tour to the next, we will pass through the epitome of 60's London, Carnaby Street.
  • Statue of Edward Jenner

    10 minsAdmission Ticket Free
    We will visit the Edward Jenner statue in the beautiful Italian gardens of Hyde Park and learn about the man who invented vaccines.
  • Paddington

    15 minsAdmission Ticket Free
    We will walk through Paddington to see the spot where the first Antibiotics were discovered.
  • Old Operating Theatre Museum and Herb Garret

    5 minsAdmission Ticket Not Included
    The oldest surviving operating theatre in the world is all that remains of this old hospital (Entry included if option booked).
  • London Bridge

    5 minsAdmission Ticket Free
    Get a great view of the City of London as we move towards the next leg of our tour.
  • The Monument to the Great Fire of London

    5 minsAdmission Ticket Not Included
    We will pass right by this impressive monument to the biggest disasters to ever hit London.
  • St Olave's Church

    5 minsAdmission Ticket Free
    This church has an incredible history and was in a plague hotspot. The beautifully kept garden inside is full of old medicinal herbs that would have been used in the days before modern hospitals.
  • Aldgate Pump

    5 minsAdmission Ticket Free
    This old water pump has an infamous history and sparked a major public health crisis in Victorian times. Don't get the hump!
  • Aldgate Square

    5 minsAdmission Ticket Free
    It all looks hunky dory on top now after the recent landscaped gardens but underneath are countless bodies from the plague.
  • Soup Kitchen for the Jewish Poor

    5 minsAdmission Ticket Not Included
    We will visit the outside of this pioneering old soup kitchen in the heart of the East End of London.
  • Norton Folgate Alms Houses

    5 minsAdmission Ticket Not Included
    These ancient Alms Houses are still operating and helping those in need just as they have done for centuries.
  • Spitalfields Charnel House

    5 minsAdmission Ticket Free
    These ruins were only found underground a few years ago and once contained the bones of thousands of victims of famine.
  • Old Spitalfields Market

    10 minsAdmission Ticket Free
    It's long been a funky market but centuries ago this whole area was one of medical recuperation.
  • Liverpool Street Station

    5 minsAdmission Ticket Included
    Before we pop on the tube to our final leg of the tour we will visit the spot of the first hospital for those suffering from mental health issues. It's bedlam!
  • Cripplegate Street

    10 minsAdmission Ticket Free
    Cripplegate is a place where the infirm would gather as it was believed that they would be healed by divine powers. We will see the Tower Of St Elsyng Spital, the ruins of an early medieval hospital.
  • Postman's Park

    10 minsAdmission Ticket Free
    On our way to our final destination we will pass through the beautiful and melancholic Postman's Park
  • Saint Bartholomew's Hospital Museum

    10 minsAdmission Ticket Free
    We will visit parts of the oldest hospital in the Western World and if you book the optional entry at booking (only open some days) then we can look in this fascinating old hospital museum.
  • WIlliam Wallace Memorial

    10 minsAdmission Ticket Free
    In this place of executions we will learn of the local body snatchers trade that though highly illegal helped doctors advance medical science.
  • Church of St. Bartholomew the Great

    10 minsAdmission Ticket Free
    We end this tour inside the truly ancient and magnificent Church of St Bartholomew the Great and visit the tomb of Rahere, the man who having almost died on his travels, had a vision of Saint Bartholomew and keeping to the promise he made to the Saint, returned to London to found not just this beautiful church but our first hospital which will be 900 years old in 2023.

What's included

INCLUDED

Private Guided Tour

NOT INCLUDED

Underground tickets are not included (£7.40 per adult)

Customer reviews

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Additional information

Must Know
Mobile or paper ticket accepted
Good To Know
Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
Service animals allowed
Public transportation options are available nearby
Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness

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Location

Provider

Ye Olde England Tours

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