Greater London Trip Overview
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.
Special Offer – Intro offer: Book by February 17 to save 20%. – Book Now!
Additional Info
Duration: 4 hours
Starts: Greater London, United Kingdom
Trip Category: Cultural & Theme Tours >> Historical & Heritage Tours
Explore Greater London Promoted Experiences
What to Expect When Visiting Greater London, England, United Kingdom
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
This is a typical itinerary for this product
Stop At: Bloomsbury, London England
We start off in beautiful Bloomsbury famed for its garden squares and creative spirit with a history of philanthropy
Duration: 35 minutes
Stop At: The Foundling Museum, 40 Brunswick Square, London WC1N 1AZ England
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).
Duration: 5 minutes
Stop At: Great Ormond Street, Great Ormond St, London, UK
The world leading children’s hospital with its little known connection to Peter Pan.
Duration: 5 minutes
Stop At: Queen Square, London WC1B, UK
This small garden square is where Florence Nightingale set up her pioneering company of nurses before the Crimean War.
Duration: 5 minutes
Stop At: St Giles-in-the-Fields Church, 60 St. Giles High Street, London WC2H 8LG England
Sat in the midst of what was a terrible rookery, these are where the first cases of the Plague were recorded in London.
Duration: 10 minutes
Stop At: 18 Soho Square Soho Square, London W1D 3QL England
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.
Duration: 10 minutes
Stop At: John Snow Saloon, Broadwick Street, W1, London W1 England
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.
Duration: 5 minutes
Stop At: Carnaby Street, Soho, London W1F England
As we transition from one leg of the tour to the next, we will pass through the epitome of 60’s London, Carnaby Street.
Duration: 10 minutes
Stop At: Statue of Edward Jenner, A402, London W2 2UD England
We will visit the Edward Jenner statue in the beautiful Italian gardens of Hyde Park and learn about the man who invented vaccines.
Duration: 10 minutes
Stop At: Paddington, London W2, UK
We will walk through Paddington to see the spot where the first Antibiotics were discovered.
Duration: 15 minutes
Stop At: Old Operating Theatre Museum and Herb Garret, St. Thomas’s Church 9A St. Thomas Street St. Thomas’ Church, London SE1 9RY England
The oldest surviving operating theatre in the world is all that remains of this old hospital (Entry included if option booked).
Duration: 5 minutes
Stop At: London Bridge, London SE1 9DD England
Get a great view of the City of London as we move towards the next leg of our tour.
Duration: 5 minutes
Stop At: The Monument to the Great Fire of London, Monument St., London EC3R 8AH England
We will pass right by this impressive monument to the biggest disasters to ever hit London.
Duration: 5 minutes
Stop At: St Olave’s Church, 8 Hart Street, London EC3R 7NB England
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.
Duration: 5 minutes
Stop At: Aldgate Pump, 65-68 Leadenhall St, London EC3A 2AD, UK
This old water pump has an infamous history and sparked a major public health crisis in Victorian times. Don’t get the hump!
Duration: 5 minutes
Stop At: Aldgate Square, Aldgate Station Aldgate High Street, London EC3N 1AH England
It all looks hunky dory on top now after the recent landscaped gardens but underneath are countless bodies from the plague.
Duration: 5 minutes
Stop At: Soup Kitchen for the Jewish Poor, Brune Street, London England
We will visit the outside of this pioneering old soup kitchen in the heart of the East End of London.
Duration: 5 minutes
Stop At: Norton Folgate Alms Houses, Puma Court, London E1 6QG England
These ancient Alms Houses are still operating and helping those in need just as they have done for centuries.
Duration: 5 minutes
Stop At: Charnel House, Bishops Square Spitalfields, London England
These ruins were only found underground a few years ago and once contained the bones of thousands of victims of famine.
Duration: 5 minutes
Stop At: Old Spitalfields Market, 16 Horner Square, London E1 6EW England
It’s long been a funky market but centuries ago this whole area was one of medical recuperation.
Duration: 10 minutes
Stop At: Liverpool Street Station, London EC2M 7QH England
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!
Duration: 5 minutes
Stop At: Cripplegate Street, Cripplegate St, Barbican, London EC2Y, UK
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.
Duration: 10 minutes
Stop At: Postman’s Park, 2 King Edward Street, London EC1A 1HQ England
On our way to our final destination we will pass through the beautiful and melancholic Postman’s Park
Duration: 10 minutes
Stop At: Saint Bartholomew’s Hospital Museum, Giltspur Street West Smithfield, London EC1A 7BE England
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.
Duration: 10 minutes
Stop At: WIlliam Wallace Memorial, St. Bartholomew’s Hospital W Smithfield, London EC1A 9DS England
In this place of executions we will learn of the local body snatchers trade that though highly illegal helped doctors advance medical science.
Duration: 10 minutes
Stop At: Church of St. Bartholomew the Great, West Smithfield, London EC1A 9DS England
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.
Duration: 10 minutes
Special Offer – Intro offer: Book by February 17 to save 20%. – Book Now!
