Florence Nightingale Museum
The Florence Nightingale Museum celebrates the life and work of the world’s most famous nurse.
Located on the banks of the river Thames opposite the Houses of Parliament, the museum attracts visitors from all over the world who want to learn more about the Lady with the Lamp and her Victorian world. We examine Florence Nightingale’s legacy, her influence on nursing today and the continuing relevance of her work.
Hear the voices of Nightingale and her contemporaries as well as her critics. The cast of characters includes the Jamaican-born nurse Mary Seacole, famed for her herbal remedies and, the Jamie Oliver of his day, Alexis Soyer who transformed the soldiers’ diet.
The Florence Nightingale Museum runs a busy schools programme and family activities, as well as a lively events programme with regular afternoon talks and evening events.
Collection highlights include:
- The writing slate Florence used as a child.
- Her pet owl Athena which she rescued in Athens, and became her constant companion.
- Nightingale’s medicine chest which she took with her to Crimea.
- A rare Register of Nurses which lists women who served under Nightingale in the military hospitals in Turkey and Crimea.
Current exhibition
Florence Nightingale in 200 Objects, People and Places
Events
Meet Miss Nightingale or Meet Mary Seacole performances most Saturdays. See our What’s On page for more information.
Visitor Information
Opening Hours:
Wednesday – Friday, 10:00-17:00 (last entry 16.30).
Admission:
Adults £10
Concessions £8
Child (under 16) £5
Family Ticket (two adults and up to four children under 16) £25
Children under five are FREE.
Group rates apply for groups over 10.
Accessibility:
Visitors with disabilities are entitled to the concessionary rate. Carers for those with disabilities receive free entry to the Museum.
The Museum is located all on one level with an accessible toilet, baby-changing facilities and a cloakroom. Should you require further access requirements please contact us in advance on 020 7188 4400.
Learning
The Florence Nightingale Museum offers formal and informal learning opportunities to discover the story of Florence Nightingale, “the lady with the lamp”, including KS1 workshops, family activities and trails.
Each school holidays we run family workshops on different themes which enables families to connect with the story of Florence Nightingale and and exhibitions whilst having fun.
For more information, please visit our website.
Family History
The museum is home to the Register of Nurses in the East – a list of the 229 women who went in an official capacity to nurse at the British Military Hospital during the Crimean War, 1854-1856. The Register has been digitised and every page can be seen in the museum through an interactive book. If you can’t visit the museum, contact the Collections Assistant who will be able to help.
The museum collection includes material about the origins of the Nightingale Training School, which opened in 1860, as well as about its early probationer nurses. If you would like to know more about a relative who trained at the Nightingale Training School School, the archivist at the London Metropolitan Archives would be glad to hear from you, as they hold the records and archives from the Nightingale Training School and St Thomas’ Hospital.
Location & Travel Links
Florence Nightingale Museum
St.Thomas’ Hospital
2 Lambeth Palace Road
London
SE1 7EW
Get directions.
Waterloo, Westminster
Waterloo
12, 53, 77, 159, 211, 507