Berkshire Medical Heritage Centre

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.

Volunteers at the amazing medical museum in the Royal Berkshire Hospital have once again posed a mystery question for vi...
14/04/2026

Volunteers at the amazing medical museum in the Royal Berkshire Hospital have once again posed a mystery question for visitors to their exhibits!
Anyone able to guess what this item is?
It is one of the latest pieces of medical equipment donated to the museum to show the advances in clinical care over the past decades.
It is known as a Maxwell Box and prior to the discovery of antibiotics, it played a major role in helping the recovery of patients suffering from the dreaded TB - Tuberculosis.
It owes its invention to a discovery in the late 19th century when an Italian scientist realised that TB patients had an improved chance of recovery if their lung was collapsed.
Usually if a person's lung collapses it is regarded as a medical emergency - but the researchers found that quite the opposite was often the case with patients who had contracted TB as it gave the lung a chance to "rest".
The Maxwell Box was invented by Dr James Maxwell (1901-1962).
A large needle was inserted into the lung cavity and air or nitrogen introduced to artificially stimulate a lung collapse. The device dates from the 1930s. Small and portable, the equipment could be carried to treat a patient during an emergency. Fortunately devices like these were rendered obsolete by the introduction of antibiotics in the late 1940s.
The Maxwell Box - along with many, many other fascinating medical devices is now on display at the museum which is located below the famous London Road entrance to the Royal Berkshire Hospital.
Admission is free (although donations towards its upkeep are welcome) and it is run by a small team of volunteers, most of whom are former members of staff at the hospital.
It is open on the afternoons of the first and third Sunday of every month - so the next date is this coming Sunday (April 19) between 2pm and 4.30.
Well worth popping along for a visit and to learn much more about hospitals in Berkshire and the advances in clinical care.

As this coming weekend is the Easter Bank Holiday, the medical museum at the Royal Berkshire Hospital won't be open as u...
01/04/2026

As this coming weekend is the Easter Bank Holiday, the medical museum at the Royal Berkshire Hospital won't be open as usual on Sunday.
The next opening day will be on Sunday April 19 when the museum (below the famous London Road entrance to the hospital) will be open to visitors from 2pm until 4.30pm.
However, here's a little extra treat for history fans - the story behind the Coat of Arms awarded to the hospital.
The Coat of Arms was designed and organised by Dr Logan Dahne In the centenary year, 1937. Dr Dahne was an ENT consultant at the hospital.
The design marks the history and achievements of the hospital. The red cross in the centre of the shield, dividing it into four quarters, has been used since the Berne Convention of 1863 as a sign of medical aid in peace or war.
The upright arm carries the Royal Sceptre marking the carly foundation of the Hospital by King William IV in
1837. The Gold stag indicate the connection of the Hospital with the Royal County of Berkshire.
The escallop shells are symbols which have been used in Reading since the foundation of the Abbey by King Henry 1 in 1121. The shell was the emblem of St James of Compostella, who was commemorated by thousands of pilgrims wearing shells in honour of the saint who had been a fisherman
The connection with Reading is that the reputed severed arm of St James was its proudest relic. Though its authenticity may be in doubt the withered hand is now in the possession of the Roman Catholic Church at Marlow, having been found in the ruins of Reading Abbey in the eighteenth century.
The motto Serviendo Fidem Tenmus translated is In Service We Hold Our Faith.
The original granting of the Coat of Arms - also pictured here - hangs in the Pathological Society library which is inside the right-hand wing at the front steps, alongside the entrance to the Berkshire Cancer Centre.

Here's a little puzzle for the weekend! Anyone got a clue what this device is?It is the latest exhibit in the medical mu...
13/03/2026

Here's a little puzzle for the weekend! Anyone got a clue what this device is?
It is the latest exhibit in the medical museum at the Royal Berkshire Hospital.
The museum was donated the rather splendid Super Actinea for ultra violet treatment.
And exactly what could the machine have been use for in the medical world?
Well, it was mainly used for the treatment of lumbago. But almost as interesting as its use is the look of the device - It really is a splendid piece of engineering with a distinct art deco look!
If you'd like to take a look at this latest exhibit - plus all the other equally fascinating items on display in the museum, pop along this coming Sunday (March 15). The museum will be open from 2pm until 4.30. The entrance is below the famous London Road entrance to the Royal Berkshire Hospital.
Best of all, admission is free...although donations towards its upkeep are always welcome.

The small but amazing medical museum at the Royal Berkshire Hospital has an incredible array of exhibits - but the colle...
24/02/2026

The small but amazing medical museum at the Royal Berkshire Hospital has an incredible array of exhibits - but the collection is never complete.
In recent weeks the museum has gratefully received several donations of new items for its displays. Among them is this apothecary bottle cork press.
Many people will be familiar with the old fashioned pharmacy bottles that had a cork stopper. The different sizes of these bottles meant that a mechanism was required to fashion the cork to size. This was achieved by rolling the cork size in a cork press.
The cork press adds to the museum’s pharmacy collection which includes apothecary weighing scales, a pill rolling machine and a variety of chemist jars and packaging of many familiar medicines.
The free to visit museum is situated in he former laundry below the famous London Road entrance to the Royal Berkshire Hospital.
If you fancy seeing the latest - and existing - exhibits, pop along to the museum this coming Sunday (March 1). The museum will be open from 2pm until 4.30pm.
The museum is open on the first and third Sunday of every month - and you're always assured of a corker of a good time!

You've probably walked or driven past it many, many times - but do you realise just how the Royal Berkshire Hospital in ...
12/02/2026

You've probably walked or driven past it many, many times - but do you realise just how the Royal Berkshire Hospital in Reading first came into existence?
The proposed establishment of the hospital was made on February 23rd 1836 - so we are just approaching the 190th anniversary. On April 30 that year a public meeting was held in Reading Town Hall where eight resolutions were passed with reference to the building of the hospital - namely:
The hospital should be in the vicinity of Reading;
Their majesties should be asked to be patrons;
The president would be Lord Benyon;
A treasurer and secretaries were to be appointed;
The cost of the grounds and building of the hospital would be funded from voluntary contributions;
Books for voluntary contributions were to opened across the county of Berkshire;
A committee was to be established to determine the site of the hospital;
A general meeting of subscribers was to be held on 9th June.
As they say the rest is history!
It is arguably, apart from Windsor Castle, the best known building in Berkshire.
And to this day the Benyon family of Englefield Estate continue to play important roles in the hospital. A ward where kidney dialysis patients are treated is named in their honour and in very recent years the much-loved garden behind outpatients in South Block was restored by the Benyon family.
If you would like to find out more about the Royal Berkshire Hospital and discover the amazing part it and the staff have played in medical history over the years, why not pop along to the medical museum this coming Sunday (February 15).
The museum - below the famous London Road building - is open on the first and third Sunday of each month from 2pm until 4.30.
Our photo shows the Royal Berkshire Hospital soon after it opened in 1839. The land (four acres) had been donated by Lord Sidmouth and the public donations of £13,000 funded its building and equipping the 50 beds.

It's probably one of the smallest, most unusual and most fascinating museums around - and yet the volunteers who run the...
21/01/2026

It's probably one of the smallest, most unusual and most fascinating museums around - and yet the volunteers who run the medical museum at the Royal Berkshire Hospital have to admit there's always one exhibit which attracts the most comments.
It is a large glass bottle which contains what visitors reckon are the museum "pets". Swimming slowly around the liquid are leeches!
They graphically tell the story of centuries of medical treatment.
Humoral theory was the basis of medicine for generations. It was believed there were four humors - phlegm, choler (yellow bile), melancholy (black bile) and blood.
For good health it was determined that the four needed to be in balance. One treatment to achieve this was blood letting - hence the use of leeches.
Their use was so widespread that the word "leech" even became the slang term for a doctor.
But don't for a second think as science evolved that leeches were consigned to history...they continue to be used today in surgery. They aid healing after reconstructive surgery by removing any excess blood - thus improving blood flow.
A farm in Wales now runs a successful business supplying the NHS and other healthcare providers with medical leeches.
The leeches are perhaps the most unusual exhibit in the museum, but there are many other displays which will interest, educate and totally fascinate visitors from the youngsters to the elderly.
Open on the first and third Sunday of every month, the medical museum's next opening is Sunday (February 1) from 2pm until 4.30. Access is below the famous London Road building of the Royal Berkshire Hospital - and there's no charge (although donations are very welcome).
Why not pop along and meet the leeches!

While spending Christmas in hospital is far from the ideal way to spend the festive season, sadly for some it is necessa...
17/12/2025

While spending Christmas in hospital is far from the ideal way to spend the festive season, sadly for some it is necessary.
This year will once again though see staff go that extra mile to ensure that patients are made to feel as special as possible.
On Sunday afternoon (December 21) the medical museum beneath the traditional London Road entrance of the Royal Berkshire Hospital will be open for its last session of 2025.
The volunteers who run this fascinating - free to visit - museum would like to send their season's greetings to everyone. And perhaps this photo will bring back a few memories for both former staff and patients.
The museum will be open on Sunday from 2pm until 4.30.

Few patients at the Royal Berkshire Hospital are able to claim that their heroic exploits resulted in the Reading hospit...
29/11/2025

Few patients at the Royal Berkshire Hospital are able to claim that their heroic exploits resulted in the Reading hospital becoming a film star.
But that's exactly what WW2 flying ace, Douglas Bader, achieved!
When his story hit the big screen in the famous movie "Reach For The Sky" the famous London Road entrance to the hospital made a cameo appearance.
Douglas Bader is perhaps still one of the most famous patents to have been treated at the hospital. His story is well recorded in the hospital museum where there is a range of artefacts commemorating the remarkable pilot.
During a flying stunt at Woodley Aerodrome in 1931, the young pilot Douglas Bader crashed and was serious injured. He was immediately rushed to the Royal Berkshire Hospital where surgeon Leonard Joyce (who had himself gained fame during WW1 for his pioneering treatment of wounded servicemen) operated. Sadly, it was necessary to amputate both of his legs.
But the surgery resulted in Douglas being able eventually to return to flying duties with the RAF - and a lifelong link with the Royal Berkshire Hospital.
During WW2 his achievements were the stuff legends are made of. He played a key role during the Battle of Britain and was credited with over 20 aerial victories.
Later in he war he had to parachute from his damaged aircraft into occupied France where he was hailed as something of a hero by the German air force. Due to one of his artificial legs being damaged, Hermann Goring personally approved a mission by the RAF to drop by parachute a replacement.
Regaining mobility prompted Bader to made a series of daring escapes - culminating eventually in him being sent to the notorious Colditz for the remainder of the war.
Why not discover more about this incredible story by popping into the Royal Berkshire Hospital medical museum - it will be open next Sunday (December 7) between 2pm and 4.30. The entrance is below the London Road building.
Our photos show Douglas Bader in the cockpit of his fighter aircraft in 1940; the anaesthetic record of his first operation by surgeon Leonard Joyce; The flying ace during a visit to the hospital in 1954 with Matron Brace and a group of nurses.

Here's a medical device which we reckon few people will have heard of - let alone seen one in action!It is called the Si...
10/11/2025

Here's a medical device which we reckon few people will have heard of - let alone seen one in action!
It is called the Sibson's Pleximeter.
This unusual device is the latest exhibit to go on display in the medical museum at the Royal Berkshire Hospital. And the incredible story behind the device involves barrels of alcohol in a bar!
It was used to percuss the chest instead of using fingers. By tapping the chest and listening to sound this produces enabling the doctor to ascertain the health of the lungs.
This method of examination was first used by Leopoldo Auenbrugger in 1761.
Auenbrugger, an inn keeper’s son was familiar with striking barrels to see how full they were. Having trained as a doctor he transferred this skill to examining the chest identifying a dull sound may indicate fluid in the lung.
It has been donated to the museum by Dr Tom Walker whose great grand father was a surgeon in Wakefield from 1856 to 1892.
However, the device never really caught on - perhaps doctors decided the traditional use of fingers to tap the patient's chest was perfectly adequate?
If you'd like to take a look at the Pleximeter - plus many other clinical devices which have been consigned to history, the medical museum is open to the public once again on this coming Sunday (November 16) from 2pm until 4.30. Access is below the famous London Road entrance to the Royal Berkshire Hospital.
And while donations to the upkeep of this unusual museum are welcome, admission is free.

Over the coming days many people will proudly wear their red poppy badge and remember those who have given their lives d...
29/10/2025

Over the coming days many people will proudly wear their red poppy badge and remember those who have given their lives during conflicts around the world.
Reading played a vital role during both world wars - but perhaps the most fascinating stories about our local hospitals come from WW1. Large numbers of injured troops were evacuated from the front line to the town for treatment.
Both Battle and the Royal Berkshire Hospital became official "war hospitals" as did several schools and country houses.
The medical museum at the Royal Berkshire Hospital has an amazing collection of items from those days which illustrate the important role this area and its people played.
Ranging from lamps used under cover of darkness to search No Man's Land for missing soldiers, to a touching autograph book bearing the signatures of grateful soldiers treated in Reading - they vividly tell the story of those days.
Here are just a few more of the artefacts from the museum - injured soldiers outside the famous Oxford Road entrance to the former Battle Hospital, a letter and scroll of tribute sent to the Royal Berkshire Hospital by Winston Churchill, an injured soldier being wheeled around the grounds of Battle Hospital and recovering troops in one of wards.
All these plus much, much more is available to view in the medical museum which is open on the first and third Sundays of each month.
This coming Sunday (November 2) the museum will be open from 2pm until 4.30. The entrance is below the famous London Road building of the Royal Berkshire Hospital.

With the prospect of some not such pleasant weather on the horizon for this weekend, why not cast your eyes - literally ...
01/10/2025

With the prospect of some not such pleasant weather on the horizon for this weekend, why not cast your eyes - literally - round one of Reading's "hidden" treasures.
The medical museum at the Royal Berkshire Hospital will be open once again this coming Sunday (October 5).
Among the many fascinating exhibits are some eyes....glass ones!
Next week the focus will be on World Sight Day, and the museum collection shows just how far ophthalmology has developed over the years.
The Royal Berkshire Hospital, along with its associated eye unit in Windsor, is renowned centre for treatment of eye conditions. The history of the specialist eye unit dates back to 1899 when it was first suggested that the hospital open a specialist eye unit.
And those eyes watching visitors as they stroll round the museum? They are a set of artificial ones, originally belonging to the last lady eye glass blower in the UK!
In years gone by, society ladies would choose glass eyes to match their dresses.
The museum is open on the first and third Sunday of each month from 2pm until 4.30 - you will find the entrance below the historic London Road building.
Admission is free - why not pop along and eye up the exhibits?

This coming weekend (September 20-21) is an absolute "must" for history buffs - and everyone with an interest in Reading...
16/09/2025

This coming weekend (September 20-21) is an absolute "must" for history buffs - and everyone with an interest in Reading from a few years ago.
The town is full of fascinating buildings and places with amazing stories to tell.
And this weekend many places, normally off limits to the public will be opening their doors as part of the Heritage Open Days scheme.
It really is worth taking time to visit one or two of these special places.
And as part of the events, the volunteers who run the medical museum at the Royal Berkshire Hospital are gearing up to play their part. The museum will be open on both Saturday and Sunday from 2pm until 4.30 with literally scores of exhibits on display - each with an amazing story to tell.
These days the hospital's cardiology team are nationally acclaimed for being the nation's fastest provider of lifesaving treatment when someone suffers a heart attack.
But advances in cardiac care have long been part of the hospital's story.
Back in the 1930s the first ECG unit opened. In 1949 the first ECG Technician was appointed. Her name was Miss Evelyn Aust. The many nurses who trained at the Royal Berkshire Hospital between 1973 and 1983 will certainly recall Miss Aust who was the Home Warden of the nurses home in Craven Road.
The museum has a host of displays showing how cardiac care has advanced over the years.
Among them are an example of an early pacemaker, along with an X-Ray showing one of the pioneering pacemakers after it been placed in the patient.
And our third photo comes from the 1970s - it is an early heart valve which was used to replace diseased aortic and mitral valves.
If you fancy including the museum in your heritage weekend programme of visits, admission is free and the entrance is below the London Road frontage of the Royal Berkshire Hospital.

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