🏨 London’s Millennia of Medical Progress Private Historical Tour Activity

London’s Millennia of Medical Progress Private Historical Tour

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From $160.38

1 reviews (5.00)

Price varies by group size

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Pricing Info: Per Person

Duration: 4 hours

Departs: London, London

Ticket Type: Mobile or paper ticket accepted

Free cancellation

Up to 24 hours in advance.

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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.

What's Included

Private Guided Tour

What's Not Included

Underground tickets are not included (£7.40 per adult)

Traveler Information

YOUTH: Age: 9 - 14
ADULT: Age: 15 - 99

Additional Info

Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
Service animals allowed

Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
Service animals allowed

Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

For a full refund, you must cancel at least 24 hours before the experience’s start time.
If you cancel less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.

What To Expect

Bloomsbury

We start off in beautiful Bloomsbury famed for its garden squares and creative spirit with a history of philanthropy

35 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

The Foundling Museum

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).

5 minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included

The world leading children's hospital with its little known connection to Peter Pan.

5 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

St Giles-in-the-Fields Church

Sat in the midst of what was a terrible rookery, these are where the first cases of the Plague were recorded in London.

10 minutes • Admission Ticket Included

Soho Square

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.

10 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

John Snow Saloon

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.

5 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Carnaby Street

As we transition from one leg of the tour to the next, we will pass through the epitome of 60's London, Carnaby Street.

10 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Statue of Edward Jenner

We will visit the Edward Jenner statue in the beautiful Italian gardens of Hyde Park and learn about the man who invented vaccines.

10 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Old Operating Theatre Museum and Herb Garret

The oldest surviving operating theatre in the world is all that remains of this old hospital (Entry included if option booked).

5 minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included

London Bridge

Get a great view of the City of London as we move towards the next leg of our tour.

5 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

The Monument to the Great Fire of London

We will pass right by this impressive monument to the biggest disasters to ever hit London.

5 minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included

St Olave's Church

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.

5 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Aldgate Square

It all looks hunky dory on top now after the recent landscaped gardens but underneath are countless bodies from the plague.

5 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Soup Kitchen for the Jewish Poor

We will visit the outside of this pioneering old soup kitchen in the heart of the East End of London.

5 minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included

Norton Folgate Alms Houses

These ancient Alms Houses are still operating and helping those in need just as they have done for centuries.

5 minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included

Charnel House

These ruins were only found underground a few years ago and once contained the bones of thousands of victims of famine.

5 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Old Spitalfields Market

It's long been a funky market but centuries ago this whole area was one of medical recuperation.

10 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Liverpool Street Station

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!

5 minutes • Admission Ticket Included

Postman's Park

On our way to our final destination we will pass through the beautiful and melancholic Postman's Park

10 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Saint Bartholomew's Hospital Museum

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.

10 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

WIlliam Wallace Memorial

In this place of executions we will learn of the local body snatchers trade that though highly illegal helped doctors advance medical science.

10 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Church of St. Bartholomew the Great

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.

10 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Reviews

Walking through the History of Medical Progress in London

kevinlA6148PH, 03-05-2022

I enjoyed a fascinating tour of London with the theme of Medical Progress. Our tour guide Stephen was tremendous and his knowledge of London and its history will impress you. My favorite visit was in the beautiful Kensington Gardens, surrounded by a pond with swans was the Statue of Edward Jenner, a physician, scientist, and pioneer of the world's first vaccine.

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