Soho's Contribution to Health Care History Walking Audio Tour

At a glance

Soho's Contribution to Health Care History Walking Audio Tour is a 1h 10m – 2h 20m private experience in London, United Kingdom, operated by VoiceMap Audio Tours. Prices start from $5.09 per person. Included: VoiceMap Application, Lifetime access to Soho's Contribution to Health Care History tour, Offline access to audio, maps, and geodata.

Quick facts

Duration

1h 10m – 2h 20m

Group

Private tour — only your group

Languages

English

Pickup

Meet at the start point

Confirmation

Instant confirmation

Ticket

Mobile or paper ticket accepted

Travellers

1–15 per booking

Ages

Adult 6–99

Cancellation

See cancellation policy

Options & availability

• Soho's Contribution to Health Care History Walking Audio Tour

  from $5.99

  Days:

  Every day

  Check availability →

Times and prices come from the operator’s live schedule and are confirmed when you book.

Overview

Itinerary

1. Stop 1

   We will walk round this small green oasis and see where Mary Seacole lived on her return from the Crimean war, the site of the first dispensary for children, the first hospital for women, the first home of the Royal Ear Hospital and the site of the original homes of the Dental Hospital of London and National Heart Hospital.

2. Stop 2

   Sadly, little remains of the square's 18th century connections with health care which included displays of medicinal mud bathing aided by 'a bevy of belles' and the home of John Hunter, the founder of modern surgery. However, we can still see the old Royal Dental Hospital, now the Hampshire Hotel.

3. Stop 3

   Dean Street has hardly changed shape in 300 years, but its facades hide a startling medical history. Walk past number 33, home to Dr Joseph Rogers, the workhouse physician The Lancet dubbed the "Hercules of workhouse reform" for forcing better care into London's Poor Law infirmaries. Further along stood the London Lock Hospital, Britain's pioneering (and stigmatised) clinic for venereal disease, its 1912 facade still standing. Along the way, spot Karl Marx's old home and Soho's oldest pub.

4. Stop 4

   Can you see the neo-classical building on the corner with six massive columns? This was designed by Robert Smirke for the Royal College of Physicians in 1827, although now it's part of the Canadian embassy. It may be grand but even at the time it was described as "severe almost to the point of dullness".
   
   Initially the physicians' college was based in Moorfields near the city of London where the emerging merchants and financiers, who could afford physicians' costs, lived. As the wealthy migrated west, so did the College, to this custom built home. In 1875 statues of three great physicians – Linacre, Harvey and Sydenham – were added in the three niches behind the columns but they left with the college in 1963. Their current home is in Regent's Park, where you can visit a museum and medicinal garden.

5. Stop 5

   Pall Mall takes its odd name from "paille-maille," a croquet-like game once played along this stretch. Laid out in the 1660s under the Earl of St Albans, it became the heart of gentlemen's clubland: the Athenaeum, the Reform Club and the Travellers Club still line its length, alongside the Royal Automobile Club. In 1820 it was one of the first streets in the world lit by gas. At its eastern end, Waterloo Place holds the Guards Crimean War Memorial, with its statue of Florence Nightingale.

6. Stop 6

   Our walk ends here in St James', the heart of establishment London and world away from Bohemian Soho. This war memorial is unusual for not only honouring soldiers but also a remarkable nurse - Florence Nightingale - whose influence is still felt today internationally.

7. Stop 7

   Hear how, in the 1820s, Robert Smirke designed the northern half of this building for the Royal College of Physicians and southern half for the Union Club, a gentlemen's club. After both left, it became the Canadian High Commission.

Meeting point

Good to know

• Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
• Service animals allowed
• Public transportation options are available nearby
• Infants are required to sit on an adult’s lap
• Suitable for all physical fitness levels

Cancellation policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Frequently asked questions