The Florence Nightingale Museum is located at St Thomas' Hospital, which faces the Palace of Westminster across the

River Thames The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the second-longest in the United Kingdom, after the R ...

in South Bank, central

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

, England. It is open to the public five days a week, Wednesday to Sunday 10:00am until 5:00pm (last entry at 4:30pm). The museum tells the real story of

Florence Nightingale Florence Nightingale (; 12 May 1820 – 13 August 1910) was an English social reformer, statistician and the founder of modern nursing. Nightingale came to prominence while serving as a manager and trainer of nurses during the Crimean War, i ...

, "the lady with the lamp", from her Victorian childhood to her experiences in the Crimean, through to her years as an ardent campaigner for health reform. Nightingale is recognised as the founder of modern nursing in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

. The new museum explains her legacy and also celebrates nursing today: it is a member of

The London Museums of Health & Medicine The London Museums of Health & Medicine is a group that brings together some of the activities of several museums in London, England, related to health and medicine. The group was founded in 1991. The museums and medical organisations are: *Al ...

group.

Florence Nightingale Museum (37664221896)

In 1860, four years after her famous involvement in the

Crimean War The Crimean War, , was fought from October 1853 to February 1856 between Russia and an ultimately victorious alliance of the Ottoman Empire, France, the United Kingdom and Piedmont-Sardinia. Geopolitical causes of the war included the ...

, Nightingale founded the Nightingale Training School for nurses at St. Thomas' Hospital and the museum is located on this site. The new museum is designed around three pavilions that tell her story.Mark Bostridge
"The Florence Nightingale Museum"
BBC London, 12 May 2010. The Gilded Cage tells the story of Nightingale's privileged childhood and her struggle against stifling social conventions. The Calling shows how Nightingale and her team coped with the crisis in the military hospitals where the legend of the lady with the lamp was born. Reform and Inspire shows the other side of Nightingale, the reformer who campaigned tirelessly for health reform at home and abroad. Highlights from the Collection include the writing slate Nightingale used as a child, her pet owl Athena (which she rescued in

Athens Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates ...

and hand reared, and which became her constant companion, travelling everywhere in her pocket), and Nightingale's medicine chest, which she took with her to the Crimean. It contains a mix of medicines and herbal remedies, from bicarbonate of soda to powdered rhubarb. The museum displays a rare Register of Nurses that lists women who served under Nightingale in the military hospitals in

Turkey Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with a small portion on the Balkan Peninsula in ...

and the Crimean. Interactive exhibits have been created to offer different ways of exploring Florence's story and influence. Free creative activities for children are offered during the holidays.

References

External links

Official website
{{Coord, 51, 30, 1, N, 0, 7, 3, W, type:landmark_region:GB, display=title Nursing museums Biographical museums in London King's College London Health in the London Borough of Lambeth History of the London Borough of Lambeth Florence Nightingale Museums established in 1987 Medical museums in London Museums in the London Borough of Lambeth Women's museums in the United Kingdom 1987 establishments in England Women in London

See also

References

External links