"On the road..." is a series of posts about our Discovery
of Britain's highways and byways. Whether it be some family fun, a
surprising connection or just a beautiful spot we want to share our love for
this country with you.
Today we visit the Florence Nightingale Museum in London
Opposite the Houses of Parliament stands St Thomas' Hospital
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| St Thomas' Hospital |
St Thomas’ was named after the martyr Thomas Becket
(1118-1170), and was founded around 1173 – although it might have just been a
rebranding of an older hospital from 1106.
The original hospital was located further down river and stood near the
entrance to London Bridge. Until the English Reformation (1539) the hospital
was run by monks and nuns.
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| St Thomas' Hospital |
In 1855 Florence Nightingale (1820-1910) in the midst of her
life changing experiences in the Crimea - resolved to reform the way nurses
were trained. Her popularity as the
“Lady with the Lamp” resulted in impressive fund raising allowing her to found
the Florence Nightingale School of Nursing at St Thomas’ in 1860.
In 1862 the expanding railway network around London Bridge
meant the whole hospital needed to move and relocated here. The foundation stone for the new hospital was
laid by Queen Victoria in 1868. The
modern 1975 buildings tend to blot out the more aesthetically pleasing
Victorian buildings behind.
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| The 1868 portion of St Thomas' |
A museum honouring Florence's life and contribution to modern nursing is located just near the main entrance to the current hospital. The museum contains books and artefacts relating to Florence and nursing including 'Athena' - Florence's bad tempered pet owl who she had stuffed on its death.
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| Florence Nightingale |
Florence felt her calling to nurse was the divine mission of her life. She said,
"On February 7 1837 God spake to me and called me to His service."
Other notable quotes of hers include:
"I craved for something worth doing instead of frittering time away on useless trifles."
"When I am no longer even a memory, just a name, I hope my voice may perpetuate the great work of my life. God bless my dear old comrades of Balaclava and bring them safe to shore."
"It may seem a strange principle to enunciate as a first requirement in a hospital that it should do the sick no harm."
The area around the museum is explored in our self guided tour of River Walk - Lambeth. The full tour is found on www.obelisktours.co.uk
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