Part of the Autumn Medi-Culture Festival 2025

By the flamboyant tomb of Lionel Lockyer in Southwark Cathedral, discover how words, wit and wild claims once sold miracle cures.

Step into the world of Lionel Lockyer, Southwark’s richest charlatan, who claimed he could bottle sunbeams and sell them as pills. Quack doctors like Lockyer thrived not only on their concoctions but also on their captivating language: extravagant promises, venomous rivalries and flamboyant self-promotion.

In this workshop, set beside Lockyer’s ornate tomb in Southwark Cathedral, you will explore the colourful history of miracle cures and medical showmanship. Then, drawing on the wit and invention of quackery, you will create your own poetic remedy, a recipe in verse designed to charm, dazzle and heal through the power of words.

Part of Team London Bridge's Autumn Medi-Culture Festival 2025, celebrating the area's fascinating ties to health, history and medicine in fun and unexpected ways. Taking place in venues across SE1 including Europes oldest surviving operating theatre and the atmospheric Guy's Chapel, the autumn line-up features stand-up comedy, skateboarding, free gym access, walks, talks and more.