The Hunterian Museum
The Hunterian Museum
Royal College of Surgeons
35-43 Lincoln’s Inn Fields
London
Greater London
WC2A 3PE
England
Website
Information and bookings
Telephone
Information and bookings
020 7869 6560
Textphone/Typetalk users
18001 020 7869 6560
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
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, Weapons and War
Key artists and exhibits
- Joshua Reynolds 1723-1792
- George Stubbs 1724-1806
- Designated Collection
Exhibition: War, Art and Surgery
- 14 October 2014 — 14 February 2015 *on now
With unprecedented access to military facilities, the artist Julia Midgley has created over 150 pieces of reportage artwork representing military surgeons in training and recently wounded soldiers on their road to recovery. Julia's work is exhibited alongside all 72 of the College's striking pastels of wounded servicemen by surgeon-artist Henry Tonks from 1916-1918.
Generously supported by Arts Council England, the Sir James Knott Trust, the Frances and Augustus Newman Foundation, Liverpool John Moores University and the Fellows and Members of the Royal College of Surgeons of England.
More details can be found on the website.
Suitable for
- 14-15
- 16-17
- 18+
Website
http://www.rcseng.ac.uk/museums/hunterian/war-art-and-surgery
Surgeons at Work: The Art of the Operation
- 31 March — 27 June 2015
The link between surgery and art has long been recognised and many artists, including Henry Tonks and Barbara Hepworth, have found inspiration from observing the surgical world. This exhibition will feature representations of surgeons and surgery from the 16th to the 21st centuries taken from the museum and library collections of the Royal College of Surgeons. These book illustrations, prints, drawings and paintings convey technical information or provide a record of treatment. Many also attempt to capture the emotions and atmosphere of the theatre and reveal something of the relationship between the patient, surgeon and the operating team.
Suitable for
- Any age
Admission
Free Entry - Open Tuesday-Saturday 10am-5pm
Website
http://www.rcseng.ac.uk/museums/hunterian/exhibitions
War, Art and Surgery: Andrew Graham-Dixon on Henry Tonks
- 4 February 2015 7-9pm
Art Historian Andrew Graham-Dixon examines Henry Tonks' remarkable watercolours documenting the facial injuries suffered by servicemen during the First World War. He examines them in the context of Harold Gillies’ early experiments in plastic surgery and considers them both as works of art and aids to surgery.
The Hunterian Museum will open for a ticketholders view of the exhibition ‘War, Art and Surgery’ from 6-7pm.
Suitable for
- 16-17
- 18+
Admission
£7. Booking is essential on 020 7869 6568.
Free place for companions accompanying disabled visitors.
Website
http://www.rcseng.ac.uk/museums/hunterian/events/special-events
10 Years On: Special Anniversary Opening
- 9 February 2015 10am-5pm
To celebrate 10 years since our 2005 refurbishment the Hunterian Museum will be open for one very special Monday with talks, museums and archives displays and activities.
Free entry, no booking required.
Suitable for
- Any age
Website
http://www.rcseng.ac.uk/museums/hunterian/events/special-events
From the Western Front to Afghanistan: Transforming military medicine for a century
- 10 February 2015 1-2pm
Live speech-to-text for deaf and hard of hearing visitors delivered by STAGETEXT.
Speakers: Dr Emily Mayhew and Squadron Leader Edward Spurrier BM FRCS
A historian and a trauma surgeon discuss how the reorganisation of Britain's military medical organisation on the Western Front was so successful that it provided the infrastructure for much of the military medical provision for the century that followed.
Lectures last approximately 45 minutes with time for questions.
Suitable for
- 16-17
- 18+
Admission
Tickets: £4.
Free place for companions accompanying disabled visitors.
Booking is essential on 020 7869 6568 (NGT: 018001 020 7869 6568)
Website
http://www.rcseng.ac.uk/museums/hunterian/events/lunchtime-lectures-and-evening-talks
Barber Surgeon: Leeches, lancets and blood-letting
- 17 February 2015 11-11:45am, 2-2:45pm, 3:30-4:15pm
11am, 2pm, 3.30pm
Meet Rory McCreadie, a Barber-Surgeon from the 17th century, and his pet leeches! From blood-letting to amputation, Rory reveals the gory secrets of surgery from centuries past. Ages 6+ (children must be accompanied).
Sessions last approximately 45 minutes.
Booking essential on 020 7869 6568.
Suitable for
- 7-10
- 11-13
- 14-15
- 16-17
- 18+
- 5-6
Admission
£2 per person, booking essential on 020 7869 6568.
Website
http://www.rcseng.ac.uk/museums/hunterian/events/family-activities
In the Saddle: Horse doctors at war.
- 17 March 2015 1-2pm
Live speech-to-text for deaf and hard of hearing visitors delivered by STAGETEXT.
Speaker: Dr Paul Watkins MRCVS
During World War 1, thousands of horses served with the British Army, often under the most dreadful conditions, as exemplified in the film ‘War Horse’; but the service of veterinary surgeons or ‘horse doctors’ has been overlooked. This lecture will consider some of the veterinary aspects of the war, and highlight many of the close workings between the medical and veterinary professions in war.
Lectures last approximately 45 minutes with time for questions.
Suitable for
- 16-17
- 18+
Admission
Tickets: £4.
Free place for companions accompanying disabled visitors.
Booking is essential on 020 7869 6568 (NGT: 018001 020 7869 6568)
Website
http://www.rcseng.ac.uk/museums/hunterian/events/lunchtime-lectures-and-evening-talks
Open Surgery: Behind the Scenes at the Royal College of Surgeons
- 9 April 2015 6:30-9:30pm
Get behind the scenes of the surgical world and try your hand at some surgical skills. Test how steady your hands are on our minimal access surgical trainers and take part in suturing classes. See how the Royal College of Surgeons works with the training of current surgeons in our mock-operating theatre used to play out surgical scenarios. Discover the historical collections of surgical instruments in a late view of the museum and see the anatomical specimens that have educated generations of surgeons and anatomists past.
Entry to the museum view is free and does not require booking.
Tickets for the skills sessions are £7 - booking is essential on 020 7869 6568.
Free places for companions accompanying disabled people.
Suitable for
- 16-17
- 18+
Admission
Tickets for the skills sessions are £7 - booking is essential on 020 7869 6568.
Free places for companions accompanying disabled people.
Website
http://www.rcseng.ac.uk/museums/hunterian/events/special-events
Cutting Edge: Improving the future of surgery through research
- 21 April 2015 7-9pm
Find out what the future holds for patients undergoing surgery in the next decade. Three current researchers will present the cutting edge work that they are doing to solve some of the health issues and complications that may affect us during our lives. Following their presentations you will have the opportunity to ask the surgeons where they see the nation’s wellbeing in the years to come.
The Hunterian Museum will be open on the night for a ticketholders view from 6-7pm
Free event but booking is essential on 020 7869 6568.
Suitable for
- 16-17
- 18+
Admission
Free event but booking is essential on 020 7869 6568.
Website
http://www.rcseng.ac.uk/museums/hunterian/events/special-events
Royal Operations
- 28 April 2015 1-2pm
Live speech-to-text for deaf and hard of hearing visitors delivered by STAGETEXT.
Speaker: Professor Harold Ellis FRCS
Surgeons always enjoy a good surgical story. Few beat stories of operations on Kings and Queens of the past. In this illustrated talk, Professor Harold Ellis will recount some of his favourite “Royal Operations”.
Lectures last approximately 45 minutes with time for questions.
Tickets: £4. Free place for companions accompanying disabled visitors.
Booking is essential on 020 7869 6568 (NGT: 018001 020 7869 6568)
Suitable for
- 16-17
- 18+
Admission
Tickets: £4. Free place for companions accompanying disabled visitors.
Booking is essential on 020 7869 6568 (NGT: 018001 020 7869 6568)
Website
http://www.rcseng.ac.uk/museums/hunterian/events/lunchtime-lectures-and-evening-talks
'From Womb to Tomb': Medical Images in Eighteenth Century British Art
- 5 May 2015 1-2pm
Live speech-to-text for deaf and hard of hearing visitors delivered by STAGETEXT.
Speaker: Dr Fiona Haslam
The eighteenth century was an age of satire. Gay, Swift, Pope, Fielding and many other writers depicted society with barbed pens. Artists such as Hogarth, Rowlandson and Gillray followed suit in their graphic prints and paintings and the world of medicine did not escape their scrutiny. This lecture shows how medical images offer a glimpse of the medical and social history of the time.
Lectures last approximately 45 minutes with time for questions.
Tickets: £4. Free place for companions accompanying disabled visitors.
Booking is essential on 020 7869 6568 (NGT: 018001 020 7869 6568)
Suitable for
- 16-17
- 18+
Admission
Tickets: £4. Free place for companions accompanying disabled visitors.
Booking is essential on 020 7869 6568 (NGT: 018001 020 7869 6568)
Website
http://www.rcseng.ac.uk/museums/hunterian/events/lunchtime-lectures-and-evening-talks
Mr King - Victorian Surgeon
- 26 May 2015 11-11:45am, 2-2:45pm, 3:30-4:15pm
11am, 2pm, 3.30pm
In the middle of the 19th century, surgery was still a messy and dangerous undertaking. The inventions which would improve the treatment of patients were only just appearing. Come and meet Mr King, a surgeon from this fascinating time in medical history. Ages 6+ (children must be accompanied).
£2 per person, booking required on 020 7869 6568.
Suitable for
- 5-6
- 7-10
- 11-13
- 14-15
- 16-17
- 18+
Admission
£2 per person, booking required on 020 7869 6568.
Website
http://www.rcseng.ac.uk/museums/hunterian/events/family-activities
Battlefield Medicine at Waterloo
- 16 June 2015 1-2pm
Live speech-to-text for deaf and hard of hearing visitors delivered by STAGETEXT.
Speaker: Mr Michael Crumplin
The Battle of Waterloo was fought on Sunday 18 June 1815. Around 100,000 Allied British, German and Dutch troops were commanded by Arthur Wellesley, the 1st Duke of Wellington. Facing him was the French Armée du Nord of 125,000 committed French soldiers, led by Napoleon Bonaparte. Neither commander in this titanic struggle had ever faced each other in combat. The battle will be explained in stages, highlighting particular medical issues.
Lectures last approximately 45 minutes with time for questions.
Tickets: £4. Free place for companions accompanying disabled visitors.
Booking is essential on 020 7869 6568 (NGT: 018001 020 7869 6568)
Suitable for
- 16-17
- 18+
Admission
Tickets: £4. Free place for companions accompanying disabled visitors.
Booking is essential on 020 7869 6568 (NGT: 018001 020 7869 6568)
Website
http://www.rcseng.ac.uk/museums/hunterian/events/lunchtime-lectures-and-evening-talks
'A cutting edge career' - surgical skills workshops for Year 11-13 students
http://www.rcseng.ac.uk/museums/learning-and-access
Do your students want to go to medical school?
Are they in the process of applying and need something extra for their personal statements?
Would they benefit from some tips for the interview?
You can combine a visit to the museum with an opportunity for your students to learn some basic surgical skills and the chance to find out more about a career in medicine and surgery from medical students, junior doctors and working surgeons.
Maximum numbers: 10-20
More information and dates for sessions can be found on our website.
How to obtain
Booking and further information: call 020 7869 6566
Cost: session is offered free but a voluntary contribution of £3 per student is suggested
GCSE Medicine Through Time Workshop
http://www.rcseng.ac.uk/museums/learning-and-access/running-your-own-medicine-through-time-workshop
Working in small groups the students will use original objects from the museum and College library’s handling collections, library and archive source materials together with the objects and specimens on display in the museum to create a personalised tour that focuses on a particular element in the development of surgery, medicine and healthcare.
Class size: 30
Dates and times for these sessions can be found on our website http://www.rcseng.ac.uk/museums/learning-and-access/
A template for a self-guided version of the workshop is also available to download.
How to obtain
Booking and further information: call 020 7869 6566
Sessions are free but voluntary contributions of £3 per student are suggested.
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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