ARCHIVES OPEN DAY 11am-3pm, WEDNESDAY 13 MAY 2026 Drop in to see items from the St Bartholomew’s Hospital collection used during the Channel 5 series, ‘Our Hospital Through Time’, and other items from our collections spanning nine centuries. Come and find out more about the work of Barts Health NHS Trust Archives! Where? Trust Archives, Kenton and Lucas Block (Entrance C), St Bartholomew’s Hospital, London EC1A

It's one month until View Day at St Bartholomew's Hospital, which means one month till our next #Archives Open Day!

Drop in between 11am-3pm on Wednesday 13 May to see original records and objects, including some featured in #OurHospitalThroughTime, and find out more about our collections

Photograph of two female records clerks at the London Hospital, both wearing work coats; one on a ladder is retrieving or returning an x-ray from the shelf in a wallet which reads "x-ray wallet"; the other appears to be checking files against a paper list. c1970s [RLHLH/P/2/41/6]

If you're new to our service you should know that we are more than just St Bartholomew’s. We hold over 145 collections, including over 35 hospitals as well as NHS authorities, medical & nursing schools, charities, and much more

You can find a list of collections we hold here - tinyurl.com/d9ds6nhv

Beatrice Monk - Wikipedia

As #womenshistorymonth ends - some notable nurses written by our #nursesinred group #histnursing. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beatric... Matron Monk (1882 - 1962) CBE, RRC COSTJ was a nursing leader, matron of The London Hospital for 12 years and President of the College of Nursing (now RCN).

Linked to the Exhibition on Nurse Catherine Pine - our #histnursing forum chair speaking on 'Deeds not Words - the nurse suffragettes arrested 1906-1914'. Wednesday 20th May at 4:00pm BST (London Time) #histnursing All details via the link florence-nightingale.digitickets.co.uk/event-ticket...

Exhibition panels featuring images from the St Bartholomew's Hospital archives collections and stories about the history of the hospital on the wall of the main corridor in the hospital's King George V building. Two pillars to either side are decorated with Barts 900 bunting, and a man stands looking at his phone to the left of the image

Another group of exhibition panels featuring images from the St Bartholomew's Hospital archives collections and stories about the history of the hospital on the wall of the main corridor in the hospital's King George V building. The closest panel, headed 'Pioneers' features an archive image of a boy in red jumper and tights lying on his front doing exercises. A man stands in front of one of panel looking at it with his hand on his chin

A cuboid display unit in the square at St Bartholomew's Hospital, part of the outdoor exhibition. Two panels of the four around the unit are visible; next to the unit is a lamp and a wooden shelter, and behind it are mature trees in leaf and the central fountain. One panel shows a large close-up photograph of pages from the hospital's medieval cartulary, where the text has been written around a hole in the parchment. The other, with the heading 'Explore' has images of items from the collections amongst a checkerboard design with details about Barts Health NHS Trust Archives and the Barts900 logo

Display units from the outdoor exhibition in Guildhall Yard, at the centre of the City of London. Behind the units are both medieval and modern buildings of Guildhall. Amongst the panels that can be seen are a large photograph of a hand, a photograph of the hospital's Hogarth staircase, and a black and white photograph of a female nurse pushing a male patient in a wheelchair in the square. People can be seen looking at and walking towards the display units

Did you spot the exhibition panels in the main entrance corridor of St Bartholomew's, in each episode of #OurHospitalThroughTime? They are a smaller version of the outdoor exhibition we mounted for #Barts900 three years ago. Explore more of the hospital's history via the online version: rb.gy/20khgd

Remember to watch the final episode of Our Hospital Through Time tonight at 8pm on Channel 5. There's more of us showing
@profaliceroberts.bsky.social our collection items and history of St Bartholomew's Hospital!

#History #Archives

@bartscharity.bsky.social

@bartsnorthwing.bsky.social

Black and white group photograph of female staff members from the hospital laundry at Swanley in an outdoor location, wearing dresses and white aprons, accompanied by a younger girl not in uniform to the right of the group, 1915 (SBHB/MP/4/7/1)

Black and white aerial view of the hospital laundry at Swanley, 1962 [SBHB/MP/7/4/2]

In 1884, there were again complaints about the laundry services, and the following year, a new purpose built Bart's laundry was opened at Swanley in Kent, where it continued to wash bedding and uniforms for the hospital until 2005 (2/2)

Did you catch this week's episode of #OurHospitalThroughTime? Laundry has always been a vital part of the work of St Bartholomew's Hospital. In 1766, when Elizabeth Johnson was employed as washerwoman, the Governors heard complaints that laundry was often dried 'upon lines' in the Great Hall! (1/2)

You can try using keywords in our catalogue (www.calmview.co.uk/BartsHealth/...), although not everything is catalogued with subject keywords. If you're looking for something specific, have a look at our research guides for tips, or drop us an email

Black and white photograph showing two female records clerks, both wearing work coats; one on a ladder is retrieving or returning an x-ray from the shelf in a wallet which reads "x-ray wallet"; the other appears to be checking files against a paper list.

If you're new to our service you should know that we are more than just St Bartholomew’s. We hold the records of more than 30 organisations, including medical schools, maternity homes, poor law infirmaries, and much more.

You can find a list of collections we hold here - tinyurl.com/d9ds6nhv

Black and white photograph showing a porter standing behind a desk and directing a woman to the left. Behind the porter is a light board showing the names of doctors and professors.

Not sure where to start your research? We've created some guides to help users find records. So if it's nurses or art, disability history or parish records, our guides can help you find what you're looking for!
www.calmview.co.uk/BartsHealth/...

Black and white photograph showing a porter standing behind a desk and directing a woman to the left. Behind the porter is a light board showing the names of doctors and professors.

Not sure where to start your research? We've created some guides to help users find records. So if it's nurses or art, disability history or parish records, our guides can help you find what you're looking for!
www.calmview.co.uk/BartsHealth/...

Inside cover of the St Bartholomew's Hospital Journal, showing an illustration of the Henry VIII gate and the dates and publisher information. Printed on a grey/yellow/cream coloured paper.

If you're interested in the history of Barts and want to find more stories, why not check out the St Bartholomew's Hospital Journal. Dates 1893 to 1974 have been digitised and can be explored here - www.qmul.ac.uk/fmd/about/ou...

Remember to watch Ep4 of Our Hospital Through Time tonight at 8pm on Channel 5. There's more of us showing
@profaliceroberts.bsky.social our collection items and history of St Bartholomew's Hospital!

#History #Archives

@bartscharity.bsky.social @bartsnorthwing.bsky.social

Exhibition ‘In Focus: Nurse Catherine Pine’ In Focus: Nurse Catherine Pine  Friday 6th March - Sunday 4th October The fourth exhibition of our In Focus - In Focus: Nurse Catherine Pine is now open. This exhibition gives an in depth look at t...

This #WomensHistoryMonth, check out the new exhibition at the Florence Nightingale Museum, 'In Focus: Nurse Catherine Pine', and find out about this St Bartholomew's Hospital nurse and her life's work in the fight for women's rights
www.florence-nightingale.co.uk/exhibition-i...

The new #MovedToCare exhibition at @rcnlibraries.bsky.social, tells stories of nursing and migration in the UK, including key figures from our hospitals, like Lisbeth Hockey (prev. Hochsinger), a refugee from Nazi-occupied Austria who trained as a nurse at the London Hospital #WomensHistoryMonth

Based on some research we did - leeches were typically fed very little so they would be hungry when they were used on patients. If they were fed it would have been with small pieces of bloody meat.

Most leeches would have been 'single-use' and so once they'd been fed they were destroyed.

Knives Out - the cook and the surgeon of Bart's | Blogs from the Archives Uncovering the working lives of women, 1690–1754, from the St Bartholomew's Hospital archives

With #InternationalWomensDay this Sunday, we're delighted to bring you another guest blog post from the wonderful
@emmashepley.bsky.social! Emma shines a light on the lives of working women at St Bartholomew's Hospital in the 18th C #WomensHistoryMonth
www.bartshealth.nhs.uk/archives-blo...

White text on a blue background. The text reads - "this stoneware jar is part of the Royal London Hospital object collection. The jar was used to store leeches. It has a lid that locks by twisting the metal clasp. It has holes so that the leeches could breathe but not escape. In 1837 Barts bought 96,000 leeches for use in the hospital. Leeches were still in use at Barts up until the 1930s. They are still used in micro surgery and plastic surgery to help restore blood flow." There is a picture of a beige ceramic pot with a claw-like attachment that stops the lid from falling off.White text on a blue background. The text reads - "this stoneware jar is part of the Royal London Hospital object collection. The jar was used to store leeches. It has a lid that locks by twisting the metal clasp. It has holes so that the leeches could breathe but not escape. In 1837 Barts bought 96,000 leeches for use in the hospital. Leeches were still in use at Barts up until the 1930s. They are still used in micro surgery and plastic surgery to help restore blood flow." There is a picture of a beige ceramic pot with a claw-like attachment that stops the lid from falling off.

On this week's episode we looked at the dispensary accounts for the hospital which showed the purchase of leeches. Here you can see an example from our collections of a pot used to store leeches 🪱🪱

A group of undergraduate students stand around a table covered in documents, books, and boxes.

We loved introducing Alice to our collections, but you don't need to be a Professor to come to the archives, anybody can visit and explore our collections!

Find out how by visiting our website - www.bartshealth.nhs.uk/barts-health...

#History #Archives

A black and white photograph showing a group of nurses in uniform pointing and looking at a flower bed full of daffodils. Photo taken on the London Hospital site and shows brick buildings in the background and a statue of Queen Alexandra.

We don't want to get our hopes up, but it's starting to feel a bit like spring 🌼🌼

Time to stretch our legs and go look at the flowers!

Remember to watch Ep3 of Our Hospital Through Time tonight at 8pm on Channel 5. There's more of us showing
@profaliceroberts.bsky.social our collection items and history of St Bartholomew's Hospital!

#History #Archives

@bartscharity.bsky.social

@bartsnorthwing.bsky.social

Black and white photograph showing a patient on a ward. Three men wearing three piece suits are at the head of the bed. One is performing surgery on the patient. Another is dropping anaesthetic onto a piece of fabric on the patient's face. A nurse is standing to the right of the men, holding a bowl and sponge. To her right is a carbolic spray positioned to spray over the patient. [SBHX8/733]

Blue background with white text which reads "British surgeon Joseph Lister invented this device to spray disinfectant over the patient and surgeons during operations. He believed it would kill bacteria in the air and stop the patient from getting infections." There is a photograph showing the spray which comprises a metal cannister (which housed a paraffin lamp and a water tank) with a wooden handle, a glass jar (which would have held the carbolic acid) is mounted to the cannister.

In last night's episode of Our Hospital Through Time we showed an example of Lister's Carbolic Acid Spray. In this photograph you can see how it was used to mist disinfectant over the patient during a surgery at St Bartholomew's

#HistMed #History #Archives

Blue background with white text on it which reads - John Freke (1688-1756), Surgeon and Museum Curator Appointed assistant surgeon to St Bartholomew's Hospital in 1725. He began to specialise in eye surgeries, becoming one of the first specialists in England. One of his duties as assistant surgeon was to manage the anatomy museum. The museum was mostly made up of kidney and bladder stones. In July 1729 John became the main surgeon to the hospital. The chandelier, which has his name on it, was given to the hospital in 1735.

The Freke Chandelier hangs in the @bartsnorthwing.bsky.social and was a gift from one of the hospital's surgeons, John Freke, in 1735.

#OurHospitalThroughTime #History #Barts

Catch Ep2 of Our Hospital Through Time tonight at 8pm on Channel 5. Tune in to see us showing @profaliceroberts.bsky.social our collection items and discussing more of the history of St Bartholomew's Hospital!

#History #Archives @bartscharity.bsky.social @bartsnorthwing.bsky.social

📢In partnership with St Andrews University, we're looking for a 'Joseph Bell Writer in Residence at the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh' to pursue a writing project drawing on our archives. Stipend of up to £15,000. Closing date 6 March 2026. www.vacancies.st-andrews.ac.uk/Vacancies/W/...

Happy National Love Your Pet Day! At Whipps Cross Hospital Preliminary Training School for Nurses, Matron Fogarty always made sure her dog Tara was in the pictures

You can find more pictures of her by searching "Tara" on our catalogue!

#Archives #History #Dogs #Pets

Colour photo showing a nurse behind a desk, she is on the phone, a man in green scrubs stands in front of the desk

We loved introducing Alice to our collections, but you don't need to be a Professor to come to the archives, anybody can visit and explore our collections!

Find out how by visiting our website - www.bartshealth.nhs.uk/barts-health...

#History #Archives

Black and white photograph showing two female records clerks, both wearing work coats; one on a ladder is retrieving or returning an x-ray from the shelf in a wallet which reads "x-ray wallet"; the other appears to be checking files against a paper list.

If you're new to our service you should know that we are more than just St Bartholomew’s. We hold the records of more than 30 organisations, including medical schools, maternity homes, poor law infirmaries, and much more.

You can find a list of collections we hold here - tinyurl.com/d9ds6nhv

Colour photo showing a nurse behind a desk, she is on the phone, a man in green scrubs stands in front of the desk

We loved introducing Alice to our collections, but you don't need to be a Professor to come to the archives, anybody can visit and explore our collections!

Find out how by visiting our website - www.bartshealth.nhs.uk/barts-health...

#History #Archives