Historian

Specialising in the 19th Century, History of Emotions, Medicine, Death, Grief, and Social History.

Museums

Experienced Museum Professional, with expertise in programming, commercial activities, and visitor experience.

Public Speaker

Confident communicator and public speaker, with experience in live and recorded formats across a wide range of subject areas.

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A woman with dark hair wearing a patterned dress and a black, sheer, polka-dot top holds a microphone and speaks on stage in front of a red curtain.
A woman with brown hair holding a yellow microphone and a stack of papers, speaking during a presentation or meeting in an office setting.
A woman with brown hair and bangs smiling at the camera while holding a brochure, standing behind a wooden table with a cardboard box in front of her, inside a rustic room with wooden walls and shelves with jars and bottles.

About Me

I’m Sara… 5’2”, rom-com reader, Welsh, and afraid of baked beans*.

Based in London, I am an historian and museum professional who specialises in the history of emotions, death, grief, medicine and sometimes the paranormal.

My research takes many forms, including writing, podcasts, documentaries and even some historical comedy from time to time.

I am currently Chair of the London Museum of Health and Medicine network, and work as Events Coordinator at the Old Operating Theatre Museum & Herb Garret. I’m dedicated to rebranding history from dull and stuffy, to engaging, immersive and emotional.

The question I get asked the most… ‘Why would you want to become a historian of death and grief?’.

My parents died in my late teens/ early 20s, shaking my foundations and leading me to run away to a big city I barely knew. But whilst grief can be one of the hardest experiences to face, there are also moments of light, laughter and silliness (maybe I’ll tell you all one day about why we had a cauliflower on my mum’s coffin). I can’t run from death, but I sure can research the sh*t out of it!

Still here? Then maybe get in touch below.

*It’s weird, I know

Sometimes I leave the house and post pictures…

I haven’t quite gotten past my Twitter/X fears to join Bluesky, so I’m perpetually scrolling Instagram instead.

I had a blast dropping some funny medical history last night at Bart’s Pathology Museum! Thanks to @stevecrossphotos for the photos, he somehow made it hard to tell that we were all sweating buckets 🥵😂 #medicalmuseums #medicalhistory #history
Yesterday I gave a talk all about the wonderful work museum networks like @medicalmuseums do for our sector! Thank you @museumsandheritage for having me, and a big shout to @http.vickyy for the excellent photos! #M&HShow #museums #museumnetwork
Even the most photogenic dogs need some direction to get them to look at the camera! 🐶 The best weekend in Bristol to celebrate @owen_mancell’s birthday 🎂
A visit to a new city is never complete without hunting down the medical museum offerings… Oxford, you didn’t disappoint ☺️🩺
Wearing my hat as Chair of @medicalmuseums today, for our object handling event Up Close and Medical. Join us @rcpmuseum until 3pm today! #MedicalMuseums #UpCloseAndMedical #museums
Xmas 2024 🎄🐶