St Thomas' Church - Hidden Operating Theatre and Herb Garret

Where?
Near London Bridge tube station, Southwark

What?
 This really appealed to me as a history lover and seemed perfect for Londoner Obscura. This old operating theatre was discovered tucked away in the roof space of St Thomas' Church by a man researching the history of St Thomas' Hospital. One day he decided to climb up into the loft and he came across the shell of the old theatre.


The restored operating theatre



The operating theatre had been lost when the hospital moved from its original site to Lambeth in 1862. The entrances to the operating theatre, which had been built in 1822, were blocked up and the operating theatre and accompanying garret were forgotten.



The herb garret as it would have been used by apothecaries


You can read more about the history of the operating theatre and herb garret here.

Both the operating theatre and herb garret have now been restored and visitors can get a real sense of what it might have been like to be a doctor (or indeed patient) at St Thomas'.

There are some fascinating (and often pretty gruesome) displays and the tiny garret is stuffed with all sorts of medical paraphernalia.

I've left out the bone saws, pickled organs and giant forceps - wouldn't want to ruin it for you before your visit!

How much?
£6 (concessions available)

Dennis Severs' House

Where?
18 Folgate Street, Spitalfields

What?
This is definitely one of the strangest places I've been in London so far.

From the outside, 18 Folgate Street is pretty unassuming. My friend remarked that she had always thought it was a restaurant or something, but had never stopped to look in.

18 Folgate Street (there isn't normally a queue!)

A detail from the front door

Once you do get inside, however, there is far more to this terraced house than meets the eye.

The late Dennis Severs was the previous owner of this house, and he painstakingly transformed the entire place into a 'still-life drama'. I admit this sounds a little 'neither-here-nor-there', but it would be too easy to try to squash this into the box of 'art' or 'history'. It's more like a time capsule.

Unfortunately photography isn't allowed, but check out the house's website here for some more images.

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As you explore the house in silence, you are invited to imagine that the occupants (the Jervis family, who made their fortune as silk-weavers and, according to the story, occupied the house between 1725 and 1919) have only just left the rooms - hence the partially-drunk cups of tea and unmade beds. Think 'Marie Celeste'.

It would genuinely be possible to spend hours exploring all the nooks and crannies of the house and it's brought to life even more by the different smells that waft around the rooms. I really did find myself imagining I was in someone's home, though it felt like they were always lurking just upstairs or in the next room.

I thoroughly enjoyed my trip round Dennis Severs' house. This rather bizarre and slightly eerie experience is a fantastic way to imagine how people lived in the past - I'd especially recommend a trip here for history lovers.

How much?
£10

The Network Theatre

Where?
Waterloo Station

What?
I discovered the Network Theatre this week when Batala London (the percussion band I currently play with) relocated there from their old home at King's Cross.

I must admit that I thought that I had taken a wrong turning and ended up somewhere in the depths of Waterloo when I tried to find the theatre. Happily I found another member (easily noticeable by the fact that they were carrying a giant drum) who showed me the almost hidden entrance.




Nope, I didn't think it looked like a theatre either...

However, through these unassuming doors is a little theatre tucked under an old railway arch, which hosts performances from both the in-house company (The Network Theatre Company) and other visiting productions. Some of the Network Theatre Company's productions have gone on to feature at the Edinburgh and Prague Fringe Festivals.



The theatre set up for an 'in the round' performance
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The theatre's next production is Hamlet, which will run from 17th December 2012 to 12th January 2013.




Batala London performing in their new home

The world-famous Old Vic theatre isn't far away from Waterloo either, but for those who prefer their performances to be a little more intimate, the Network Theatre is a fantastic venue.

How much?
Depends on the show.

The London Noses

Where?
Alll around the city - you'll need sharp eyes to spot them though!

What?
These plaster of paris reproductions of the artist's nose can be spotted on buildings around London. These were created by Rick Buckley in 1997 and while 35 were originally created and attached buildings such as the National Gallery and Tate Britain, only about 10 now remain dotted around the capital in places such as St Pancras Station and Dean Street.

A Soho nose
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Buckley stuck the noses up in protest at the increasing number of CCTV cameras in the city and the rise of the 'Big Brother' society.

Anyone interested in more nose-casts should also try to find the 'Seven Noses of Soho' - apparently if you can located all seven then great riches will be yours...maybe even enough for a nose job?

How much?
Not a penny.

Londoner Obscura

London is the biggest city in Great Britain. It has nearly seven million inhabitants,  around 5,000 pubs, over 300 museums and at least 25,000 acres of parkland. It has a huge number of famous landmarks: the London Eye, the Houses of Parliament and Tower Bridge to name but a few obvious examples.




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So how on earth do you navigate such a vast and culturally-saturated city?

Sure you can go and get a photo next to your favourite celebrity at Madame Tussauds or go and attempt to climb onto a lion at Trafalgar Square, but surely there's more to our capital city?

That's where Londoner Obscura comes in: it's time to explore some of the bits of London that aren't in the Lonely Planet guide.

Londoner Obscura will specialse in the hidden, the forgotten and the obscure. If it's covered in dust, we want it. If people walk past it without noticing, it's for us. And if it's got an exciting story to tell, we're going to find it out.

Nothing is off limits.