The herb Garrett, London.
Hidden away within the roof space of this curious little museum is a wunderkammer of objects, each contains a myriad of fascinating stories that fire the imagination. Here is a glimpse of work made following our visit in January 2020.
jules Allen
'One Rose'
Jules says "following our visit to the Old Operating Theatre and Herb Garrett at St .Thomas's Hospital in January 2020, I was inspired to make this piece as a homage to Alice de Bregerake, who gifted her property to St. Thomas's Hospital in return for the yearly rent of one rose to be given on the Feast of St John. At the time, the festival was believed to be charmed and herbs given on this day possessed unusual powers of healing, which were retained if plucked during the night the feast. The rose was widely used medicinally but was also a symbol of religious devotion and romantic love.
Further investigation led me to the words contained in the Deed that she signed, thought to have been drawn up in the first half of the thirteenth century;
"I, Alice de Bregerake, widow of Mathew le Pikard and Lady Beddington, moved by divine piety and for the welfare of my soul, as well as of those of my ancestors, have given and by this deed have confirmed, o God and to the new hospital of St. Thomas the Martyr...that property, with all the buildings thereon, grounds, gardens, and everything belonging to it...rendering therefore to me and to my heirs yearly, in place of all services or demands for ever, one rose, on the feast of St. John the Baptist."
I can only imagine Alice's reasons for donating her property to the hospital but my understanding is that such a gift in those times may have been made in return for papal 'indulgence' which when granted in return for specific 'good works', allowed for the remission of penances in the eyes of the church.
How had she sinned? Why did she seek the welfare of her soul and the souls of her ancestors?
I still have many unanswered questions about Alice, her life and what it was like to live in those times, but for now this work containing 'one rose' serves as a flower of remembrance 800 years hence".
Further investigation led me to the words contained in the Deed that she signed, thought to have been drawn up in the first half of the thirteenth century;
"I, Alice de Bregerake, widow of Mathew le Pikard and Lady Beddington, moved by divine piety and for the welfare of my soul, as well as of those of my ancestors, have given and by this deed have confirmed, o God and to the new hospital of St. Thomas the Martyr...that property, with all the buildings thereon, grounds, gardens, and everything belonging to it...rendering therefore to me and to my heirs yearly, in place of all services or demands for ever, one rose, on the feast of St. John the Baptist."
I can only imagine Alice's reasons for donating her property to the hospital but my understanding is that such a gift in those times may have been made in return for papal 'indulgence' which when granted in return for specific 'good works', allowed for the remission of penances in the eyes of the church.
How had she sinned? Why did she seek the welfare of her soul and the souls of her ancestors?
I still have many unanswered questions about Alice, her life and what it was like to live in those times, but for now this work containing 'one rose' serves as a flower of remembrance 800 years hence".
Chris Ruston
Herbarium
Chris says
"The Herb Garrett had such a wonderful atmosphere, with displays that give a window onto a bygone era. Faced with so many interesting objects to respond to, what stayed with me were the beautiful arrangements of apothecary jars. These were the catalyst which set me wondering about the healing potions they may once have contained. Further research revealed the poet John Keats had once worked at the hospital. I was intrigued to find In one of his many medical note books three small drawings - a skull, and two violets.
John Keats was a qualified apothecary and had started surgical training at St.Thomas's Hospital when he made the momentous decision to give up
medicine. Surgery at this time could be a brutal affair. Through poetry, Keats sought consolation and meaning in our relationship with nature. Words became his 'medicine' in exploring our connections to the wider world.
'Herbarium' contains two works - a Concertina Book which combines the outlines of various apothecary jars: each containing fragments from Keats 'Ode to A Nightingale'. The poem explores themes of life, death and transience. The other work consists of fifteen unbound pages; Keats poems are combined with various pressed plants Using fine transparent papers the work has a fragile, ephemeral quality - symbolic of Keats own short life.
Karen Apps
Wine Cordial and a Cambric Handkerchief.
Karen says
"I was intrigued by the array of medical instruments on display. It struck me there was a stark contrast between undergoing a surgical procedure two hundred years ago and today. My research led to finding a first hand account of someone who had recorded that experience. In 1811 novelist and diarist Frances Burney underwent an excruciating operation for breast cancer. The operation was carried out without the use of anaesthetic or antiseptic. Astonishingly Frances not only survived the operation but also lived a further 29 years. In a long letter to her sister, written a year after the surgery, Frances gives a vivid account of her ordeal. It is one of the first detailed accounts of a full mastectomy. I have used excerpts from the letter to create a textile book. Her words are stitched across the fabric.
"I was annoyed by a small pain...
The hardness of the spot increased...
I was formally condemned to an operation to avert evil consequences...
I saw it was inevitable...
They gave me wine cordial and spread a cambric handkerchief upon my face...
Silence most profound ensued...
I did not breathe."
"I was intrigued by the array of medical instruments on display. It struck me there was a stark contrast between undergoing a surgical procedure two hundred years ago and today. My research led to finding a first hand account of someone who had recorded that experience. In 1811 novelist and diarist Frances Burney underwent an excruciating operation for breast cancer. The operation was carried out without the use of anaesthetic or antiseptic. Astonishingly Frances not only survived the operation but also lived a further 29 years. In a long letter to her sister, written a year after the surgery, Frances gives a vivid account of her ordeal. It is one of the first detailed accounts of a full mastectomy. I have used excerpts from the letter to create a textile book. Her words are stitched across the fabric.
"I was annoyed by a small pain...
The hardness of the spot increased...
I was formally condemned to an operation to avert evil consequences...
I saw it was inevitable...
They gave me wine cordial and spread a cambric handkerchief upon my face...
Silence most profound ensued...
I did not breathe."