Berkshire Medical Heritage Centre

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Berkshire Medical Heritage Centre The Berkshire Medical Heritage Centre (BMHC) houses the Royal Berkshire Medical Museum and its collections.

Come to the Royal Berkshire Medical Museum to see the extraordinary changes in medicine that have taken place in the past 150 years. See displays on the history of anaesthesia, surgery, nursing, pharmacy, obstetrics, dental surgery, blood transfusion, blood letting, and wartime medicine. The Museum also tells the history of the Royal Berkshire Hospital. The Museum is part of the Berkshire Medical Heritage Centre, which is a registered charity.

With Remembrance Day getting closer and many people wearing their poppies in tribute to the fallen in wars and conflicts...
26/10/2026

With Remembrance Day getting closer and many people wearing their poppies in tribute to the fallen in wars and conflicts, one of the team at the medical museum at the Royal Berkshire Hospital delved into their archives and discovered a real gem from our town's history.
They retrieved the autograph book of Lornetta Ruskell who was a nurse at Redland’s School war hospital during WW1.
Collecting autographs of soldiers was not uncommon by army nurses during this time.
The archive photographs show a page from the autograph book, Official acknowledgement of Lornetta’s contribution to nursing during WW1 - and photos of Redland’s school during its time as an army hospital.
This fragment of history is just a tiny part of the collection of memorabilia and equipment from those days which are available to view in the small museum.
If you would like to find out about some of the amazing stories of our town's history of medicine, why not pop along to the museum this coming Sunday (November 1).
The museum is run by a dedicated and enthusiastic team of volunteers who themselves worked in a wide array of roles in the hospital.
Access is below the famous London Road entrance to the Royal Berkshire Hospital. The museum, which makes no charge to visitors, is open from 2pm until 4.30.

20/10/2026

Perhaps the smallest and most fascinating museum in Berkshire, the medical museum at the Royal Berkshire Hospital literally is a living history display.
Run by the enthusiastic team of volunteers from the Berkshire Medical Heritage Centre, the exhibits trace the story of modern medicine from their earliest beginnings right up to date. They also reveal just what an amazing international role our town has played in medical advances.
The museum (below the London Road building of the Royal Berkshire Hospital) is open from 2pm until 4.30 on the first and third Sunday of every month.
But the team are now organising an even more in-depth look into medical history with a symposium...and its not just aimed at clinical professionals, there will be sessions to interest everyone.
It takes place on Saturday November 14 in Rooms GO3 and GO4 at the London Road campus of Reading University (just a few yards from the hospital).
Here's a flavour of what's on offer during the day: Dr Tim Smith will give a talk on the first 25 years of the medical museum, Dr Anna Skuse will talk about staying alive in early renaissance England; Malcolm Summers will outline the history of the Reading Dispensary; Dr Tim Smith will tell of Hugh Owen Thomas and the bonesetters of Anglesea....all these and more will be explained.
There's a charge being made by the heritage centre of £15 per person....if you want to know more or register to attend, why not email: [email protected]

Here's a midweek puzzle question....any idea what this strange looking device is?It is one of the many exhibits on displ...
29/09/2026

Here's a midweek puzzle question....any idea what this strange looking device is?
It is one of the many exhibits on display at the medical museum in the Royal Berkshire Hospital.
It is an apparatus designed by Sir Francis Edward Shipway to deliver the anaethesetic agents chloroform and ether. It was invented as chloroform and ether were warmed prior to delivery - this was thought to reduce post operative pneumonia caused by inhaling cold vapours.
Later in his career Sir Francis was honoured with a knighthood in 1929 after anesthetising King George V twice for thoracic surgery.
The medical museum - run by an enthusiastic team of volunteers - is free to visit and is open on the first and third Sunday of every month. It will be open this coming Sunday (October 4) from 2pm until 4.30.
The entrance is below the famous historic London Road building of the Royal Berkshire Hospital.

It may look like a scene from many centuries ago, but this photo was taken in 1900 at the Royal Berkshire Hospital - and...
16/09/2026

It may look like a scene from many centuries ago, but this photo was taken in 1900 at the Royal Berkshire Hospital - and shows a surgical team hard at work in one of the operating theatres.
Times have certainly changed and so have the treatment and procedures available to medical teams.
And this coming weekend (September 19-20) there's a wonderful opportunity to step back in time and discover some fascinating facts about medical care both in our town and internationally.
As part of the nation's heritage open days, the medical museum at the Royal Berkshire Hospital will be open on the afternoons of Saturday and Sunday from 2pm until 4.30pm.
Admission is free (although donations are welcome) and the entrance to the museum is below the famous London Road building of the hospital - which is almost certainly where our 1900 theatre was.
Among the displays are a great collection of early anaesthetic devices, artificial joints, surgical kits used in WW1 and WW2, plus a display of equipment used by nurses in the early 1950s... along with much more to numerous to mention.
Why not make a date and pop along - there really is something to interest the whole family from children to grandparents.

This photo of a huge chemist's shop display from many years ago will surely bring memories flooding back for readers.It ...
02/09/2026

This photo of a huge chemist's shop display from many years ago will surely bring memories flooding back for readers.
It is the thought-provoking pharmacy display in the medical museum at the Royal Berkshire Hospital in Reading.
Many people will vividly remember lots of the items on display - there is also an early ampoule of penicillin (the penicillin has been used) plus a pill rollers.
The museum is open to the public on the first and third Sunday afternoon of every month from 2pm until 4.30....so why not pop along this coming Sunday (September 6)?
And there's an added bonus of openings later this month when the museum pays a key role in the Heritage Open Days Weekend.
On both Saturday and Sunday September 19 and 20 from 2 until 4.30pm.
It will give people of all ages the opportunity to view many items relating to the history of the Royal Berkshire Hospital, opened in 1839, and of medicine, surgery and nursing in general.
As well as providing a consistently high standard of health care for the local community over the last 187 years, the hospital has made a number of important contributions to the development of clinical practice in general. Also visitors will be able to browse a range of publications, written by members of the volunteer team who run the museum, available to buy for modest prices.

This photo of a huge chemist's shop display from many years ago will surely bring memories flooding back for readers.It ...
02/09/2026

This photo of a huge chemist's shop display from many years ago will surely bring memories flooding back for readers.
It is the thought-provoking pharmacy display in the medical museum at the Royal Berkshire Hospital in Reading.
Many people will vividly remember lots of the items on display - there is also an early ampoule of penicillin (the penicillin has been used) plus a pill rollers.
The museum is open to the public on the first and third Sunday afternoon of every month from 2pm until 4.30....so why not pop along this coming Sunday (September 6)?
And there's an added bonus of openings later this month when the museum pays a key role in the Heritage Open Days Weekend.
On both Saturday and Sunday September 19 and 20 from 2 until 4.30pm.
It will give people of all ages the opportunity to view many items relating to the history of the Royal Berkshire Hospital, opened in 1839, and of medicine, surgery and nursing in general.
As well as providing a consistently high standard of health care for the local community over the last 187 years, the hospital has made a number of important contributions to the development of clinical practice in general. Also visitors will be able to browse a range of publications, written by members of the volunteer team who run the museum, available to buy for modest prices.

Some of the most fascinating items in the medical museum at the Royal Berkshire Hospital in Reading relate to the incred...
12/08/2026

Some of the most fascinating items in the medical museum at the Royal Berkshire Hospital in Reading relate to the incredible role the town played during both world wars.
The former workhouse in the Oxford Road (eventually to become Battle Hospital) quickly became War Hospital Number One. Countless wounded troops injured during combat were brought to both Battle and the Royal Berkshire Hospital. Soon schools were also requestioned to be used as medical treatment centres.
And how quickly things were to change in the way our nation viewed things!
This photo taken outside one of Reading's war hospitals tells its own story of some of the changes soon to come.
Matron Steen of the Royal Red Cross sits in the front row - but not a single female doctor is in the picture.
The RAMC (Royal Army Medical Corps) would have nothing to do with women doctors at the start of the war. It was only in 1916, because they were desperate, that they took them on.
Women were not given commissions or uniforms at first which meant they had no authority. Eventually, in 1918, they were issued with uniforms - but not given a rank!
There are many other fascinating stories from behind the scenes in the museum. It will be open this coming Sunday (August 16) from 2pm until 4.30. Admission is free - although donations towards its running are welcome.
Access is beneath the famous London Road entrance of the Royal Berkshire Hospital.

During both world wars Reading and Berkshire played a vital role - perhaps far greater than most people realise.World Wa...
29/07/2026

During both world wars Reading and Berkshire played a vital role - perhaps far greater than most people realise.
World War 1 saw our town's hospitals and some schools become hospitals, treating injured troops evacuated back from the trenches.
Battle Hospital in Oxford Road - which started life as a workhouse - became designated as War Hospital Number 1.
Miss Willets was appointed as matron. She had already seen active service as a nurse in the Boar War in South Africa.
Matron Willets was later transferred to the Western front. She was a remarkable lady.
In 1916 Matron Willet was awarded the Royal Red Class (first class) for her war work.
Her work - along with much, much more about WW1 and Reading's important work - is just one of the fascinating stories featured in the medical museum at the Royal Berkshire Hospital.
The museum, which is run by a dedicated team of volunteers, will be open this coming Sunday (August 2) between 2pm and 4.30. The entrance is below the famous London Road building of the Royal Berkshire Hospital. Admission is free (although donations are welcome) and there literally is something of interest for the whole family.
Pictured is Matron Willets - the museum also has photos of her meeting the King and Queen when they visited Battle Hospital.

Staff from across the Royal Berkshire Hospital line the famous London Road entrance in late June 1926 for a very special...
15/07/2026

Staff from across the Royal Berkshire Hospital line the famous London Road entrance in late June 1926 for a very special visitor.
The then Duke of Edinburgh - later to become King Edward V111 for a brief reign - was paying an official visit.
It was a big day for Reading as he also officially opened Caversham Bridge. The visit had been due to take place earlier in the year but was postponed due to the General Strike.
This wonderful photo from the past is among the many in the archives of the medical museum at the Royal Berkshire Hospital. Run by a team of dedicated volunteers, the small museum is an absolute "must" for anyone with an interest in the past - exhibits include one of the last surviving iron lungs, displays from both world wars, showing the vital role the hospital and its staff played, along with displays of almost forgotten medical items such as glass eyes.
The museum is open on the first and third Sunday of each month - so this coming weekend (July 19) it will be welcoming visitors from 2pm until 4.30. The entrance is below the London Road building featured in this photo - why not pop along?

Here's a mystery photo for you to puzzle over! Any idea what this device might be used for?Here's a clue - it played an ...
17/06/2026

Here's a mystery photo for you to puzzle over! Any idea what this device might be used for?
Here's a clue - it played an important role in helping to save lives!
Today in our hospitals among the most highly skilled medics are the anaesthetists. Anyone who has undergone surgery will no doubt be hugely grateful to them.
But not so many years ago - within the lifetime of many people reading this Facebook post - methods available were no where near as sophisticated and scientific as they are in the 21st century.
Most common was the one drop ether method used to administer anaesthetic - commonly used in the late 1940s. Basically, drops of ether were poured on to a cloth mask and the patient would take breaths of the ether.
But this method meant it was not possible to accurately dose the amount of ether...and that's where our mystery object came in!
It is the Wilson ether vaporiser developed in March 1937. This apparatus was devised by Dr Wilson Smith and incorporated a value that enabled air and vapour to mix.
It is among a number of exhibits showing the history and amazing development of anaesthesia which are on display in the medical museum at Reading's Royal Berkshire Hospital.
Visitors are left amazed at just how quickly medical science and treatments have progressed over the past years - and some of the most important historic changes are ones which the Royal Berkshire Hospital and its teams have developed.
The museum is open on the first and third Sunday of every month - so why not pop along for an hour this coming Sunday (June 21) between 2pm and 4.30pm. There's no admission charge (although contributions are welcome) and access is below the historic London Road entrance to the hospital.

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Reading
RG15AN

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+441189549371

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