The Herb Garret
Storing Herbal Medicine
The roof space of St Thomas' church was once used for storing herbs. How do we know this?
Well, firstly the name - the Herb Garret! Secondly, we found dried poppy heads in the rafters, Thirdly, there are ropes hanging down from the roof and lastly, there is rack at the back of the Garret which may have been used for storage.
The Herbs stored here were used to make medicines for people who were ill. The herbs were collected from the garden in the hospital, from apothecaries in the City and by the Herb Woman who we think collected them from the countryside around London.
The Herbs were then cut and hung up to dry in the garret. They were extremely useful, so it was important that they did not rot.
Make a list of the things that you would need to do to make sure that the herbs were kept in good condition.
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