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Florence Nightingale Museum facts for kids

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Florence Nightingale Museum
Florence Nightingale Museum - Joy of Museums.jpg
Museum entrance
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Established 1989; 36 years ago (1989)
Location Lambeth Palace Road
London, SE1
United Kingdom
Owner The Florence Nightingale Museum Trust
Public transit access London Underground Waterloo
National Rail Waterloo

The Florence Nightingale Museum is a special place in London, England. It's located at St Thomas' Hospital, right across the River Thames from the famous Palace of Westminster. This museum tells the amazing story of Florence Nightingale, who is known as "the lady with the lamp." She is famous for starting modern nursing in the United Kingdom.

The museum is usually open five days a week, from Wednesday to Sunday. It welcomes visitors from 10:00 AM until 5:00 PM.

Discover the Florence Nightingale Museum

The Florence Nightingale Museum shares the true story of a remarkable woman. It covers her childhood in the Victorian era. It also shows her experiences during the Crimean War. Later, she became a strong supporter of health reform.

Nightingale is seen as the person who founded modern nursing. The museum explains her lasting impact. It also celebrates nursing as it is today.

Who Was Florence Nightingale?

Florence Nightingale was a very important person in history. She lived in Victorian times and worked hard to improve healthcare. She became famous during the Crimean War. There, she was known as "the lady with the lamp" because she checked on injured soldiers at night.

In 1860, four years after the war, Nightingale started the Nightingale Training School. This school was for nurses and was located at St. Thomas' Hospital. The museum is built on this very site.

Florence Nightingale Museum (37664221896)
A stained glass window of Nightingale, on display at the museum

What You'll See Inside

The museum is set up with three main sections, called pavilions. Each pavilion tells a different part of Florence's life story.

Her Early Life

The first section is called The Gilded Cage. This part tells about Nightingale's childhood. She grew up in a wealthy family. It shows how she struggled against the strict rules for women at that time.

Her Time in the Crimean War

The next section is The Calling. Here, you learn about Nightingale and her team. They worked in military hospitals during a big crisis. This is where the legend of "the lady with the lamp" began.

Her Work as a Reformer

The final section is Reform and Inspire. This part shows Florence Nightingale as a reformer. She worked tirelessly to improve health care. She helped make changes both in her home country and around the world.

Special Items to See

The museum has many interesting items from Florence Nightingale's life.

  • You can see the writing slate she used as a child.
  • There's also Athena, her pet owl. Florence rescued Athena in Athens and raised her. The owl was her constant friend and traveled everywhere in her pocket!
  • Another key item is Nightingale's medicine chest. She took this with her to the Crimean War. It holds a mix of medicines and herbal remedies. These include things like bicarbonate of soda and powdered rhubarb.
  • The museum also displays a rare Register of Nurses. This book lists the women who worked under Nightingale. They served in the military hospitals in Turkey and the Crimean region.

Fun and Learning

The museum has interactive exhibits. These let you explore Florence's story in different ways. During school holidays, they also offer free creative activities for children.

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Museo de Florence Nightingale para niños

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