Hunterian Museum at the Royal College of Surgeons
Hunterian Museum at the Royal College of Surgeons of England
35-43 Lincoln’s Inn Fields
London
Greater London
WC2A 3PE
England
Website
General information
Information and bookings
Telephone
Information and bookings
020 7869 6560
Textphone/Typetalk users
18001 020 7869 6560
Fax
Museum office
020 7869 6564
The Hunterian Museum collections, brought together over four centuries by a cast of colourful characters including John Hunter (1728-1793), are a fascinating mix of comparative anatomy and pathology specimens; complete skeletons, bones, skulls and teeth; dried preparations, corrosion casts and wax teaching models; historical surgical and dental instruments together with modern surgical instruments and technologies; as well as paintings, drawings and sculpture.
The Hunterian Museum has undergone a £3.2 million refurbishment to create a publicly accessible museum that encourages visitors to explore the scientific, cultural and historical importance of the museum collections. The new Hunterian Museum enables visitors to share the wealth of material that has been a source of inspiration to surgeons, scientists and artists for over two hundred years. Come and be inspired!
This museum has a Designated Collection of national importance.
Venue Type:
Museum
Additional info
Further information for disabled visitors
Access to the museum is via the two College entrances:
The main College entrance:
This entrance has six shallow steps up to the doors. There is an automatic door which opens sideways. The reception desk has a portable induction loop. Reception staff are happy to help with any access needs.
The Nuffield College of Surgical Sciences entrance:
This entrance is for visitors who are wheelchair users, have mobility problems or are unable to use steps. Entry is provided via an external access lift. Please use the call button in the lift and a porter will provide entry into the building.
There is level access throughout the museum spaces. The upper galleries can be reached by using a platform lift within the museum. Our staff are happy to provide assistance if you require it, please ask.
Guide dogs, hearing dogs and other assistance dogs are welcome in the Museum.
There is an accessible toilet on the ground floor of the main College building and two accessible toilets on the fourth floor of the main College building.
Disabled parking on site can be booked by calling 020 7869 6400
Hunterian Museum at the Royal College of Surgeons of England
35-43 Lincoln’s Inn Fields
London
Greater London
WC2A 3PE
England
Website
General information
Information and bookings
Telephone
Information and bookings
020 7869 6560
Textphone/Typetalk users
18001 020 7869 6560
Fax
Museum office
020 7869 6564
The Hunterian Collection is a Designated Collection of national importance.
At the heart of the Hunterian Museum is an astonishing 18th century medical collection. It is the legacy of the anatomist and surgeon John Hunter FRS (1728-1793), who built up an extensive museum which he used for teaching and for research on topics as diverse as the transplantation of teeth and the breeding of bees.
The collection reflects Hunter's wide-ranging network of correspondents, students and patrons - including Joseph Banks, Edward Jenner and Queen Charlotte - and contains paintings by artists such as George Stubbs and Benjamin West. After Hunter's death his collection was given to The Royal College of Surgeons, where over 3,500 Hunterian preparations are still displayed alongside many more gathered over the course of the last two centuries.
Collection details
Natural Sciences, Medicine, Fine Art, Science and Technology, Social History
Key artists and exhibits
- Joshua Reynolds 1723-1792
- George Stubbs 1724-1806
- Designated Collection
Collections services
- Object identification and/or written enquiry service
- Public access available to collections information
- Object study facilities available (enquire in advance)
Hunterian Museum at the Royal College of Surgeons of England
35-43 Lincoln’s Inn Fields
London
Greater London
WC2A 3PE
England
Website
General information
Information and bookings
Telephone
Information and bookings
020 7869 6560
Textphone/Typetalk users
18001 020 7869 6560
Fax
Museum office
020 7869 6564
Make it Better: Designing Out Medical Error
Qvist Gallery, Hunterian Museum.
Make It Better is an exhibition of designs for the clinical environment aimed at reducing medical error.
Mistakes made in healthcare can have huge human and financial costs. The design of much medical equipment and environments is outdated, confusing and can lead to errors. Patient safety is a complex issue that needs approaching from different viewpoints. A multidisciplinary team was brought together for three years to research medical error and involve front line clinical staff in developing new designs.
The results are a suite of research findings and innovative designs aimed at better supporting front line staff and reducing medical error at the bedside.
Research undertaken by the Helen Hamlyn Centre for Design, Royal College of Art and Imperial College, London.
Funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council.
Suitable for
- Any age
Where
Hunterian Museum, Royal College of Surgeons, London
Admission
Free entry to exhibition. Open Tuesday-Saturday 10am-5pm.
Website
Hunterian Museum at the Royal College of Surgeons of England
35-43 Lincoln’s Inn Fields
London
Greater London
WC2A 3PE
England
Website
General information
Information and bookings
Telephone
Information and bookings
020 7869 6560
Textphone/Typetalk users
18001 020 7869 6560
Fax
Museum office
020 7869 6564
Love Bugs: Valentines Event
Join the team from Science London for some infectiously good Valentine’s night fun. Craft your own cuddly bacteria that even Joseph Lister wouldn’t want to kill, learn about Lister’s loving wife Agnes and other less romantic stories from the archives; and find out more from our expertly entertaining speakers about the things that you wouldn’t want to catch from close contact.
£2 suggested donation, payable on the door - free face mask for every donation. No booking required.
Suitable for
- 18+
- Not suitable for children
When
6-9pm
Where
Hunterian Museum, Royal College of Surgeons, London
Admission
£2 suggested donation, payable on the door - free face mask for every donation. No booking required.
Website
Auditory Anatomy: Half-term workshop
If the Hunterian Museum had a sound, what would it be? In this workshop, Performance Sound students from the Rose Bruford College of Theatre and Performance, London will introduce you to the techniques of sound recording, editing and mixing to create a short piece to be recorded in the museum.
All materials and equipment provided but participants will need to bring a packed lunch.
Free workshop for ages 14-16. Booking essential on 020 7869 6560 or museums@rcseng.ac.uk
Children attend unaccompanied but parents/guardians will be required to sign a consent form.
Suitable for
- 14-15
- 16-17
- Especially for children
When
11am-4pm
Where
Hunterian Museum, Royal College of Surgeons, London
Admission
Booking essential on 020 7869 6560 or museums@rcseng.ac.uk.
Website
Lord Lister: The Early Years
Considered by many as one of the greatest surgeons produced in the British Isles, Joseph Lister’s development of antiseptic surgery in the 1860’s - while still a young professor of Surgery in Glasgow - was based on careful experimental studies. He revolutionised surgical practice, heralding the dawn of modern surgery. Professor Harold Ellis examines the early influences on the man that created the surgeon.
Live speech-to-text for deaf and hard of hearing visitors delivered by STAGETEXT.
Suitable for
- 18+
- 16-17
- 14-15
- Not suitable for children
Languages
- Speech-to-text translation for the deaf and hard of hearing by STAGETEXT.
When
1-2pm
Where
Hunterian Museum, Royal College of Surgeons, London
Admission
Lunchtime lecture tickets: £3. Booking is essential on 020 7869 6560 (text relay: 018001 020 7869 6560)
Website
http://www.rcseng.ac.uk/museums/events/lunchtime-lectures-and-evening-talks
Museums at Night 2012: Lancing the Surgeons
To celebrate Museums at Night we throw open the doors of our archives and mark the 150th anniversary of a man who fought the College of Surgeons every step of the way! Talks, activities and archival displays will look at the life of Thomas Wakley, surgeon, Lancet founder and editor and medical crusader. You can also discover some of the stranger things that the college has acquired, try your hand at surgical ‘top trumps’ and take the opportunity to research a surgical ancestor.
Free, drop-in event but on-the night registration will be required for individual activities.
Suitable for
- 16-17
- 18+
When
6-9pm
Website
Hunterian Museum at the Royal College of Surgeons of England
35-43 Lincoln’s Inn Fields
London
Greater London
WC2A 3PE
England
Website
General information
Information and bookings
Telephone
Information and bookings
020 7869 6560
Textphone/Typetalk users
18001 020 7869 6560
Fax
Museum office
020 7869 6564
Hunterian Museum at the Royal College of Surgeons of England
35-43 Lincoln’s Inn Fields
London
Greater London
WC2A 3PE
England
Website
General information
Information and bookings
Telephone
Information and bookings
020 7869 6560
Textphone/Typetalk users
18001 020 7869 6560
Fax
Museum office
020 7869 6564
Getting there
By tube: Holborn and Temple are our nearest stations
By train: The museum is not far from several mainline stations including Euston, Charing Cross and Waterloo
By bus: any route via Aldwych or High Holborn runs close to the museum, includes:
1, 4, 8, 9, 11, 13, 15, 16, 23, 25, 26, 38, 55, 76, 98, 139, 172, 176, 242, 341
By cycle: there is a pick-up and drop off point for London's hired bikes behind the college on Portugal Street.
By road: London's congestion charges operate Mon-Fri 07:00-18:00.
The College is centrally located between, Fleet Street, High Holborn and Kingsway. Coaches can pick up and drop off immediately outside the museum.
Parking in Lincoln's Inn Fields is metered, more reasonable parking is at the NCP in Bloomsbury Square.
Disabled parking on site can be arranged by calling 020 7869 6400.
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