Monthly behind-the-scenes tour of the Royal College of Nursing's historic Cavendish Square building, its nursing collection and the building's ghosts.
The Royal College of Nursing runs a monthly behind-the-scenes tour of its head office at 20 Cavendish Square, and the next one is on Wednesday 6 January. It's a short trip — about 40 minutes — and it's run by the RCN Library and Museum team, so you're getting the story from the people who actually work there.
The house itself dates back to 1729, and it's held onto plenty of its original features, including a grand neoclassical mural-painted staircase. Its most famous resident was the Liberal MP Herbert Henry Asquith, who lived there until he became prime minister in 1908. Lady Cowdray bought the building for the RCN in 1920, and it opened in 1922 as the Cowdray Club, a club for nurses and professional women. A purpose-built College was added at the rear and formally opened in 1926.
Inside, the site now houses the UK's most extensive specialist nursing collection. That means physical books, historic journals, rare Victorian texts, and one of Florence Nightingale's own copies. The tour takes in the history and architecture of the building, the collection it holds, and — for a bit of a change in tone — the building's ghosts.
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It runs from 3:00pm to 4:00pm on the first Wednesday of every month, so if 6 January doesn't suit, there's another on 3 February. Tickets are £9.00.
Date
Wednesday, 4 November 2026
15:00
Price
Paid
Recommended Age
+14 years
