Why is there an Operating Theatre Inside a Church?

Originally the church of St Thomas was attached to the south wing of St Thomas Hospital; in fact the wards were built around it.  Back in the day, the closest ward to the church was ‘Dorcas’ which was in fact the ladies surgical ward.  To give you an impression of how things were before 1822, the surgical ward was just that.  The women that needed operations of any sort would be operated on in their bed on the ward, bearing in mind that they were Nightingale wards with many beds, this would not only be a life threatening event for the patient in question but the ‘treatment’ was more than just a little traumatic for the other ladies on the ward.

This procedure of in-situ operations had been practiced for some considerable time, but when the Apothecary’s Act was passed in 1815 it meant that the surgical wards became more crowded as apprentice apothecaries were required to observe the operations taking place.  By relocating the area of surgery to the herb garret in the roof of the church this offered room for the students to observe and provided some relief from the horrors of surgery that patients had previously been forced to witness.  This new operating theatre was purposely built with a skylight being installed in the church roof.  With no ventilation and no form it of heating it was not the most pleasant of venues but it was a leap forward in ‘patient care’.

Pioneering Surgery or Butchery?

Up until 1847 surgeons had to rely on their speed and accuracy in performing procedures.  The new operating theatre did offer some sound proofing from the rest of the wards, as the screams of the surgeon’s patient were blood curdling in the extreme.  With the introduction of anaesthetics in 1847 things became a lot quieter.  This operating theatre was mainly used for amputations and minor surgical procedures.  A good surgeon could remove a leg in a matter of minutes for even the most ‘reluctant’ of patients.  It was still for too dangerous to perform any internal surgery as this was before the introduction of antiseptic and sterile environments.  The operating theatre closed down however before antiseptic surgery was commonplace in hospitals.

The Herb Garret

The church of St Thomas was rebuilt in 1703 with a purposely large roof space which was used the hospitals apothecaries for storing and using their medicinal herbs.  The space proved to be an excellent storage area as the rats were less prone to visit, preferring instead the dark and dank basement areas.  Plus the large wooden rafters that supported the roof were good at absorbing moisture from the fresh herbs.

Attractions

A permanent display illustrating the development of plant life is available to view in the Evolution House.  There are a few models included in the display where original specimens have long since died out, though the majority of plants on display are living example of ancient plants.  The Princess of Wales Conservatory is the most complex habitat at Kew.  With ten distinct climate controlled areas it offers visitors a journey through some of the most beautiful plant life on the planet.

The ‘Dry Tropics’ zone in the conservatory is a representation of the more arid parts of the world and the ‘Wet Tropics’ contain the lush rainforest vegetation and moisture loving plants of the steamy mangrove swamps.  The eight other zones in the conservatory contain micro climates reserved for carnivorous plants, plants of the desert and savannah as well as lush ferns and delicate, but stunning orchids.

Look Out For…

Make a point of stopping to look at the Giant Water Lily; this plant from Asia has leaves that span an immense two metres and are strong enough to support a good 7 or 8 pounds of weight before they sink below the surface.  With the giant lily on the surface of the pond visitors can walk to a lower level to get a fish’s viewpoint of the pond.  Individual tanks here contain poison dart tree frogs, piranha and baby water dragons.  All of these displays show the relationship between the animals and the plant life in their natural environments.

Children will love these displays and you may have trouble dragging them away.  See if you can get the kids to spot the stone plants as they wander through the Princess of Wales Conservatory, these amazing plants disguise themselves as small pebbles so they are not grazed by animals in the parched landscape of Southern Africa.

Enjoy

The fabulous walled gardens of Kew offer a great day out for families of all ages.  Filled with woodlands, incredible, stately Victorian glass houses and beautiful historic buildings there is lots to explore.  The gardens at Kew are an attraction that changes appearance with the seasons which means that a visit in the autumn will offer a totally different environment than that of a visit in the spring.  The colours and scents that greet you as you walk around the gardens change with the time of day and offer sensory delights to all.  The opportunities for photography here are endless and Kew is eager for you to share your pictures of the plants with them.

If you are one of the many who are attracted to the bizarre, the gruesome and the downright strange you will find a lot of exhibits in the Huntarian Museum to be of interest.  The museum is in fact one of the UK’s oldest collections of pathological, anatomical and zoological specimens, all based around the collection started by John Hunter.  There are over 3,500 different fossils, skeletons, medical instruments and works of art in the collection.  The eclectic mix of exhibits also includes the skeleton of the ‘Irish Giant’, Charles Byrne which measures 7’ 7” and has been the subject of recent medial and anthropological debate.

Medical History

The collection belongs to the Royal College of Surgeons and offers some insight into the history of medicine and how it developed within this great old city of London.  Pieces of original pioneering medical equipment can be found such as seventeenth century surgical tools and a pioneering carbolic spay used by Joseph Lister; the very beginning of antiseptics in the surgical environment, and a pivotal point in the history of medicine.

The collection also includes items donated from Edward Jenner the doctor who developed the smallpox vaccination that saved millions of lives, generally regarded as the father of immunology.  Other exhibits include donations from Sir Joseph Banks one of the scientists on the Endeavour with Captain James Cook.  Charles Darwin himself donated the tooth of a ‘Megatherium’ (a Giant Sloth) and Winston Churchill, along a similar vein, donated his dentures.

Exhibitions

There are a number of different themes exhibitions within the museum; some will chart the development of surgery from the gruesome days of the barber-surgeons to today’s state of the art surgical tools.  Others may look at how the understanding of human anatomy developed, from the first charted drawings of the 1640’s to the modern computer generated 3D diagnostic tools.  Things here are not only about medicine though in an exhibition entitled simply ‘Extinct’ there are both images and specimens of a whole range of both long extinct and recently extinct creatures like the woolly mammoth and the Tasmanian Tiger.  The exhibits are also home to remains of one of the most terrifying creatures that even swam the world’s oceans, the prehistoric megalodon shark.

Entry to the museum is free to everybody and there is no charge for entry into any of the exhibitions either.  Past visitors have used words like ‘freaky’, ‘spooky’ and ‘mind boggling’ to describe the range of artefacts on display here.  However it makes you think about the current range of exhibits on display and you will leave the Hunterian feeling very thankful that medicine, and in particular surgery has moved on from the barbarous days of the bask street surgeon and his dirty and rusty tools.

World Influence

The museum sponsors a regular international Churchill Conference with aims to use the experience and methods of Churchill and apply them to modern issues and problems the world over.  The museum does not seek to sway the personal political opinions of its visitors, that is not what this centre is about.  Instead the Churchill Centre is more about educating you about the man, his methods and his insight, and how his influence changed Britain for the better.  You will be able to understand the man a little more by learning about the pressures he faced, the weight that his decisions carried and ultimately how the mantle he wore made him the man he became.  The Churchill Centre has received praise and acclaim from figure heads the world over for the way it represents the man and his methods and motivations.

War Rooms

Beneath the busy streets of London are the Cabinet War Rooms.  People in the city walk overhead, going about their business without any knowledge of what lies beneath the pavements they walk on.  This subterranean  network of rooms was a hive of activity during the Blitz, not only did they protect cabinet ministers and government officials, this is where all wartime operations were recorded, assessed and directed.  Meetings were held here late into the night as the bombing continued overhead, in fact the network of tunnels became a second home to Churchill and many of his cabinet during those difficult war years.

Visiting the war rooms today allows you to step back in history and feel for yourself how it must have felt to be so deep below the surface with the bombs of the blitz exploding in the city overhead.  The equipment in the rooms is still there for you to touch and interact with, allowing you to get a sense of how these rooms were operated and to imagine how they felt filled with people going about the business of war.

Map Room

As you enter the map room you will be entering a moment in time, almost like a freeze frame.  Nothing has been changed in that room since its occupants left in 1945.  All of the charts, maps and notebooks are just as they were left.  This is the room that charted the advance of troops, paths of bombing flights and bases of operations on all of the fronts.  Perhaps if you stand still enough and close your eyes you will still feel the buzz of activity that went on in here, or sense the urgency and the importance of the work that was done here and of course, the major world changing decisions that were made here.  The War Rooms offer a unique experience to today’s visitors.

Facts

The aquarium contains over 2 million litres of water that is home to thousands of marine creatures.  Included in the mix are twelve different species of amazing sharks.  The aquarium is split over three floors all given different themes and zones relating to the marine life held there.  Visitors can get up close and personal with all kinds of creatures here with interactive feeding events and touch pools.

2012 Developments

Previously visitors to the aquarium have had to be content with just looking at the final product of the aquariums hard work, without knowing how the amazing displays had been created.  Now in 2012 things in the aquarium are set to change.  Guided tours will be available to take visitors behind the scenes to learn about how the aquarium staff manage to maintain the individual habitats and care for over 600 different marine species.  Areas that were previously closed to the public will now be opened up so that you can learn about how they research and conserve endangered species and of course how the breeding programmes are managed.

The Future

The aquarium is always looking for new ways to give visitors a unique experience and further develop the facilities on offer.  February 2012 will see the opening of the ‘Shark Reef Encounter’ allowing visitors to learn more about these beautiful and often misunderstood fish.  Opening coincides with the school half term holidays and offers a fabulous holiday activity for all of the family.

The shark walk has also been extended giving visitors the chance to walk inches above a shoal of sixteen amazing sharks along a glass walkway.  The kids will be in awe watching these amazing creatures swim right under their feet.  After the walkway visitors arrive at the pacific experience.  Complete with Easter Island statues this stunning display extends over all three floors.  The Shark Academy will educate and amaze and definitely change a few people’s minds about this amazing species.

Explore

No matter what your favourite creature in the aquarium is from small and colourful ‘Nemo’ like clownfish to the incredible sharks you will have plenty of opportunities to see them all and more.  Children and adults will learn about different species and their habitats and how we need to conserve our natural environments and encourage the preservation of so many species currently at the risk of extinction.  The London Aquarium is a fabulous destination for a family day out, with something for everyone to enjoy no matter what their age.

History

The area was once owned by Westminster Abbey with the land being called ‘Convent Garden’ in the 1630’s.  However, recent archaeological digs unearthed the remnants of Saxon inhabitants of the area, which it is believed date back to approximately AD410.  This is around the time when the Roman invaders left their Londinium behind and abandoned their occupation of England.  History shows that the Saxons created a trading port to the west of the great city which covered the Covent Garden area, though this port and settlement (Lundenwic) was also abandoned as the Viking invaders exerted pressure in the areas inhabitants in the 9^th century.  The area then reverted back to agricultural use until the 17^th Century when the great town planning exercises of the time began.

Development

Based on ideas from Italian city architecture, the main square was surrounded by streets laid out in a grid, a far cry from the previous winding streets and alleyways that the city’s inhabitants had known.  It proved to be a turning point in the future architecture of the city.  The new ‘town square’ was designed as a public area, which proved very unpopular with the affluent residents of the area.

Many of the upper class residents moved out to more exclusive areas, leaving the area to the lower classes and their less than savoury past times.  However the area stared to attract artists and musicians which gave the place a new ambience and feel.  The fruit and vegetable market continued and expanded, especially after the great fire of 1666 when the other markets of the area were destroyed.  The area did acquire a somewhat dubious reputation during this time, with the theatre and bars around the square earning reputations of their own.

The Arts

Covent Garden has also always been associated with the Theatre, the oldest in the area being The Theatre Royal on Drury Lane, its origins date back to the 1660’s.  The developments of smaller auditoriums lead to the development of the Covent Garden theatre in 1732.  New buildings were designed to blend with the existing iron and glass structures of the flower market buildings, most of which now form part of the Royal Opera House.  Always a home for artists, the area attracted writers and publishers with many famous theatre publishing houses making the area their home.

Today Covent Garden attracts millions of visitors each year, and though the area has been extensively developed a lot of the original features can still be seen.  It is a great place to explore, but be warned, with so much to see and do, and the fabulous market, you may go home with more than you bargained for.

History

This now vibrant area or London was once an area of open fields.  Used at a hunting ground in the 16^th Century, the huntsmen of the area, instead of calling out the traditional ‘Tally-Ho’ as they rode out, would cry ‘So-ho!’  The area soon became known as the ‘Soho’ fields.  In 1683 a large dwelling was built along one of the newly developed streets in the area and the building was given the name ‘Karnaby House’, giving the now famous street its name.  Karnaby Market was established soon after and so the history of the street began.

Development

The area of Soho is still home to one of the most colourful environments in the city.  The street really started to develop its unique atmosphere in the 1930’s, when the first jazz club was opened.  The Florence Mills Jazz club attracted folk from all over the city to its doors.  The 1950’s saw the arrival of the streets first fashion boutique.  Called ‘His Clothes’ its arrival there started an influx of other fashion houses and independent boutiques into the street.  The 1960’s saw the street become the epicentre of mod fashion and hippie style, with Mary Quant now having taken resident in the street.  With the influx of fashion and the youth that it attracted to the area, a number of underground entertainment venues and music bars came into being.

Pulling Power

With the street now considered to be ‘the place to be’ for anyone looking to be a part of its vibrant scene, rock stars and famous faces of the time made sure they were seen there.  The Rolling Stones were regular players at the areas Marquee Club and with the rich and famous deciding they had to be seen there it became the area most associated with ‘swinging London’ during the 60’s.  The street has since been immortalised in song by a number of artists from the 1960’s to the 1990’s, illustrating that the street has not lost any of its reputation or vibrancy over the years.

Carnaby Street has even made it into The Simpsons cult cartoon, showing both Bart and Lisa clothed in mod style.  The band U2 made the video to accompany ‘Even Better than the Real Thing’ in the street, and in the 2008 film ‘The Dark Knight’ The costume of the Joker, played by the late Heath Ledger was inspired by the famous Carnaby Street mod style.  The street will continue to influence modern style and draw visitors from around the globe, after all the sign at the top of the street does say ‘Carnaby Street Welcomes the World’.

20^th Century Influences

With the passing of the Great War, Lawrence Wright, also known as Horatio Nicholls – his professional name – took up residence in Denmark Street, at number 19, changing the name to ‘Wright’s House’.  Though this sounds pretty insignificant, it was from here that the now infamous ‘Melody Maker’ magazine was born in 1926, which he used originally as a method of promoting and selling his own music and songs.  It wasn’t long before other music publishers moved into the area and so the reputation of the area began.

The nickname of ‘Tin Pan Alley’ was taken from a similar hive of musical activity based in New York, around the city’s West 28^th Street.  By the end of the 1940’s practically all of London’s music publishing industry were based in Denmark Street.  1952 saw the arrival of ‘New Musical Express’ (NME) magazine the only rival to Wright’s ‘Melody Maker’ publication which grew to the point that it overtook and absorbed its predecessor.

Rock and Pop History

The first recording studio opened in 1962, owned by session violinist Ralph Elman and soon Denmark Street was the only place to be if you wanted to work in the music industry.  Buildings were adapted to accommodate all aspects of the industry, from the ground up every inch of space was dedicated to making, recording and publishing music.  Basements were turned into recording studios, ground floor spaces become shops for sellers of instruments and other equipment, back of shop areas were turned into instrument repair shops and at the top of the building were the publishing and distribution offices.

The recording studios in Denmark Street attracted all of the big names including the Rolling Stones, David Bowie and the Small Faces, including artists from overseas like Stevie Wonder and Jimi Hendrix.  Artists would come here not only to record, but to shop in the streets musical store with both Pete Townsend and Eric Clapton both buying guitars here.

Tin Pan Alley Today

Denmark Street is still an area rich in musical history and home to some of the best instrument repair shops you could ever hope to find.  Now in place of the wealth of recording studios and publishing offices the area hosts intimate music clubs that showcase new acts and new talent each night.  Take a walk down Denmark Street and follow in the footsteps of some of the greatest musical performers of all time.

Park Attractions

The deer in the park are a mixture of Red and Roe Deer – they help to maintain the special grasslands in the park whilst they roam and graze each day.  Care should be taken during the rutting season (September – November) and visitors should always keep a respectful distance from these amazing animals, keeping dogs on the leash at all times.

A visit to the Isabella Plantation within the park takes you into a stunning woodland escape which contains a host of plant life that provides colour and interest all year round.  The woodlands are filled with lakes and ponds that are a haven for birds and all kinds of wildlife and from within the woodland it is hard to believe that you are in such a large and exciting city like London.

Pembroke Lodge is a stately Georgian mansion set within its own landscaped grounds that is filled with ancient trees and stunning evergreen magnolias.  The Lodge is the perfect spot to sample a relaxed lunch and take in the beauty of your surroundings.

Take a walk to the top of King Henry’s mound, originally constructed to allow the King an uninterrupted view across the park prior to the hunt.  Now legally protected, the view from the top lets you see across the city through to St Pauls Cathedral.

Richmond Park also houses its own 18 hole golf course complete with a driving range which operates on a ‘pay and place’ policy.  With two children’s play areas the whole family can appreciate the facilities that the park has to offer.

Sporting Activities

With a variety of sporting options available in the park it attracts people from all over the area.  A portion of the park, just north of Roehampton Gate is set out to accommodate three full size rugby pitches, complete with changing rooms and a clubhouse.  Horse riding is available across the park from several local riding stables, and there are plenty of bridle paths to follow.  The park is also hugely popular with cyclists with trails to suit all ages and abilities, a range of cycles can be hired in the park if you do not have your own.  One of the newest sports available at the park is Power Kiting.  Training is provided by qualified instructors and is carried out throughout the year.

Amaya

Located in Knightsbridge this elegant and sophisticated restaurant is ‘upmarket and unmissable’ (according to many reviewers).  Its rosewood panelled walls, Indian sculptures and leather upholstery transport you into another world.  This romantic scene is set for enjoying top quality food and wine.  “As much or as little” is the intelligent option offered by Amaya.  The heartiest appetite is satisfied and all at a reasonable price.

Chutney Mary

Head for the lively Kings Road and in Chutney Mary you can sample quality regional dishes like fish accompanied by ginger or mustard sauces combined with subtly flavoured vegetables.  Leave room for a dessert, the choice is sublime!  If you fancy a leisurely brunch on Sunday accompanied by live entertainment a three course meal will set you back about £22.  At prices like this you can sit back and relax!

Benares

Situated in  the classic Berkeley Square House within easy access of Green Park Tube station Benares attracts “celebs” and “serious foodies” alike.  Polished dark wood clad walls and illuminated flower filled water pools ooze romance and style.  Well marinated meat and fish dishes cooked divinely are accompanied by innovatively spiced vegetables.  Wash each course down with your own choice of wine from an exciting list and enjoy “celeb” spotting!

Quilons

When reviewers rave: “Outstanding service and truly extraordinary food” and others comment on the unhurried atmosphere and wonderful presentations, they have dined in St James at Quilon’s. This is coastal Indian cooking at its best; the food is refined, and what one would expect from a Michelin starred restaurant.  Their approach is modern, combining the creative variety of dishes with a traditional respect for quality and presentation.  Highly recommended are their curries, but particularly the Korallum fish curry.  Indeed all their fried fish is delicious.  The wine list is extensive and effortlessly compliments the food.  It is more expensive when dining at night but the set meals and lunches are well within reach and won’t dent your pocket.

The Cinnamon Club

Get ready to open your eyes and ears and to satisfy your appetite any time of the day and night and feel part of Westminster’s vibrant world.  The Cinnamon Club is housed in the Old Library and is a reminder of a past era.  Expect to see the Prime Minister or other Parliamentary figures.  This is their local and you can dine with them at breakfast, lunch time or in the evening.  The atmosphere is stimulating and the high quality menu changes daily.  Locally sourced produce is their staple and lovers of exciting food will not be disappointed.  Service is lively but discreet and the excellent wine list completes the picture.  Think tradition but the best of ‘now’.