Florence Nightingale Museum
The Florence Nightingale Museum is an independent museum (Museum and Galleries Commission Registration no. 584), opened in 1989, based on the life of Florence Nightingale. It is on the historical site of the first purpose built nurse training institution, the Nightingale Training School for Nurses, which closed in 1996) at St Thomas' Hospital.
The collections held by the Museum may be traced back to the gifts from Florence Nightingale to the nurses at St Thomas' Hospital in the late 1800s. The founder of the collection may be regarded as Alicia Lloyd-Still, Matron of St Thomas' from 1913 to 1937. There were plans for a Nightingale Museum as early as the 1930s but these were shelved with the Second World War and not reconsidered till the late 1970s. Prior to the formation the collections were displayed and received acclaim on major anniversaries such as 1954 (Crimean Centenary), 1960 (Nightingale Training School Centenary) and 1970 (150th of Florence Nightingale's birth). The Florence Nightingale Museum Trust was formed in 1983 and the Museum is run as an independent charitable company.
The Museum has strong links with Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust, with the British National Health Service in general and with nursing organizations across the world. The Museum is equally important for the public who are served by nurses and the health services. Florence Nightingale's legacy to people's health is of great importance to society as a whole as is evident from the recent press on MRSA and obesity. The Museum aims to provide excellent educational services for a range of users from special educational needs groups in the local community to international nurses. The Museum had 27,400 visitors in 2004. The Museum is a Registered Charity No.299576.
Museum Services:
The Museum is open to the public 10:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. weekdays and 10:00 am - 4:30 p.m. on weekends and Bank holidays. Last admission is one hour before closing. Please contact the Museum or go to our website to check holiday opening times. Entrance fees from April 1st 2006: Adult: £5.80, Child: £4.80, Concession: £4.80, Family: £16.00, Adult Groups (15 people or more): £4.80; Concession Groups (15 people or more) £4.80: The Museum welcomes Group Bookings and Educational Groups as well as individual visitors - please see our website or telephone +44 (0) 20 7620 0374 to book a group visit.
The Museum hosts family events in the School holidays and the second weekend of every month.
It is usually possible to consult archival material and stored objects. Please contact the museum to book an appointment to do so. It is also possible to consult the Museum's collection of nursing. Again, please make an appointment with the Museum beforehand. Copies of photographs from our archives are available (subject to a copyright fee). Please contact the Museum.
The Museum produces a number of resources which are available from our website, including a new interactive children's CD ROM, teaching material, and a recently revised DVD on Florence Nightingale.
The Museum's collection consists of three main categories of objects:
1. Objects associated with Florence Nightingale, of which:
a.Childhood and education;
b.Travel souvenirs;
c.Costume and accessories;
d.Domestic objects;
e.Working life;
f.Gifts from Florence Nightingale;
g.Relics of Florence Nightingale;
h.Honours and special gifts;
i.The Nightingale legend.
2.Objects associated with the Crimean War;
3.Objects associated with nursing.
The collection also consists of 63 letters written by Florence Nightingale, and, on deposit at the London Metropolitan Archives, a further collection of 700 letters from Florence Nightingale and related papers. In addition, the museum holds a number of publications relating to Florence Nightingale and history of nursing.