Wonder if these walls could talk? St Thomas’ Church has seen centuries of London’s history unfold. This former church in Southwark stands as a testament to the city’s ever evolving story.
St Thomas’ Church began as part of the original St Thomas’ Hospital. The hospital was near St Mary Overie Priory around 1212. This makes the hospital also an Augustinian house. By 1496 the hospital became a parish. It was named after Thomas Becket. Pilgrimages to Canterbury started at London Bridge.
Following the Reformation in 1538 the church was renamed St Thomas the Apostle. This was after the abolition of the Becket cult. The present St Thomas’ Church was built in 1703. The Hospital Governors commissioned Thomas Cartwright to design it. He had worked with Christopher Wren. Cartwright worked on three of Wren’s City churches.
The garret of St Thomas’ Church was known as the Herb Garret in 1821. That same year the Old Operating Theatre was built there. For over 100 years the garret served to dry and store herbs. These herbs were used to make medicines. Products from plants minerals and animals have been used as medicine since ancient times. Even today many medicines come from natural sources. In 1821 part of the garret became an operating theatre for women.
Its use as a church became redundant in 1899. The parish merged with St Saviour’s. St Saviour’s became Southwark Cathedral in 1905. St Thomas’ then became the Chapter House for the cathedral.
The small civil parish of Southwark St Thomas merged in 1896. It merged into Southwark St Olave and St Thomas. That then merged into Bermondsey parish in 1904. This reflected the establishment of the metropolitan borough.
Later in the 20th century the Chapter Group used it as office space. This was an insurance company. The Jubilee Line Extension undermined the building. It was ‘at risk’. Repairs were made starting in 2010. It then became the HQ of the Cathedral Group property development company.
The oldest surviving operating theatre in England is housed here. Raymond Russell uncovered this scientific facility in 1957. It is in the church’s garret. The 19th-century Operating Theatre lay undiscovered for almost 100 years. Russell found a reference to its location in the hospital archives. He rediscovered the Operating Theatre in 1956.
Florence Nightingale became involved with St Thomas Hospital in 1859. She established her famous nursing school on this site. The Hospital Governors sold the land to the Charing Cross Railway Company. This was for redevelopment of London Bridge station. In 1862 the Hospital moved to its present site in Lambeth. Most of the old buildings were destroyed.
Today St Thomas’ Church has been restored. It preserves its historical features. It now serves as a museum. It showcases the old hospital’s Operating Theatre and Herb Garret.
So as you stand before St Thomas’ Church remember its long history. From its beginnings as part of a hospital to its current role as a museum it has played many parts. It remains a special place. It connects us to London’s rich past.