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Florence Nightingale Museum: the Lady of the Lamp & the Practice of Nursing

A visit to the charming Florence Nightingale Museum; not only a celebration of the 'lady of the lamp' but also of nurses and the practice of nursing everywhere.



This museum visit harkened back to my GCSE history module 'Medicine Through Time' (does anyone else remember this?!), where we did indeed learn about Florence Nightingale's work and influence as the 'mother of modern nursing'.

The museum is suitably placed in the grounds of St Thomas' Hospital (on the South Bank, opposite Parliament), an institution in which Nightingale was closely connected. Told in the context of the 'gilded cage' in which so many women of the 19th Century were trapped, we discover that it took Nightingale years to persuade her family to let her train as a nurse. Her story is then followed to the Crimean War and her return to the UK.



 The visitor is introduced to figures who are less well-known. This includes Elizabeth Garrett Anderson, the first Englishwoman to qualify as a doctor, Edith Cavell, a British nurse executed for helping British and French soldiers escape during WW1, and Mary Seacole, a Jamaican-British nurse who also helped soldiers during the Crimean War and would later go on to publish a book. Seacole's achievements were rightly restored to our history more recently and her statue now stands outside St Thomas' hospital, a short walk from the Florence Nightingale Museum. 

 Sadly, there was some controversy over the decision to commemorate Seacole in this location. The then-Director of the Florence Nightingale Museum, Natasha McEnroe, could not understand the fuss, saying “No one ever asks me to compare the work of two (male) surgeons in the Crimean War, yet it is always assumed that two women feud” (article here). 


One exhibit describes how Nightingale also cared for the families of the sick by writing and sending money to their loved ones. She was also a lover of animals, and had a small pet owl that she rescued when it fell from its nest (the taxidermied owl is on display!). The exhibits do not shy away from the truths of the tale. Nightingale was well-educated and from an upper middle-class family who could support her financially. However, one thing that they do not touch upon are the complexities of Nightingale's opinions towards the male and female roles within the medical profession. An exploration into what she truly said and wrote on the matter would be interesting. 

 The museum is not only a testament to its namesake but also an ode to nurses and the practice of nursing.  The most touching exhibit in the museum is the collection of images of nurses and patients wrapped around the perimeter of the entire room; a sort of Bayeux Tapestry of nursing throughout the past century.

This year marks the Bicentenary of Nightingale's birth, which would be a great time to visit. However the Covid-19 situation has forced this museum, like others, to close. It is these smaller, independent museums that will suffer the most. Consider ordering from their shop online or make a donation. 

  

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