Hunterian Museum at the Royal College of Surgeons
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
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
Lunchtime Lecture: Gideon Mantell - Unfair Dismissal?
- 1 April 2014 1-2pm
One of the most important fossil collectors and theorists of his day, Gideon Mantell (MRCS, FRS) was quickly eclipsed by competitors such as Richard Owen. They worked to humiliate and erase him from scientific importance and ultimately, he was reduced to a medical curiosity, with portions of his spine extracted for display. This talk by Professor Joe Cain (UCL) examines Mantell’s paleontological work, especially his theories about the prehistoric beasts he discovered, and assesses his contributions.
Suitable for
- 16-17
- 18+
- Not suitable for children
Admission
£4.00. Booking essential on 020 7869 6568. Speech-to-Text service for deaf and hard of hearing visitors provided by STAGETEXT.
Website
http://www.rcseng.ac.uk/museums/hunterian/events/lunchtime-lectures-and-evening-talks
Lunchtime lecture: Eccentric - the life of William Price
- 13 May 2014 1-2pm
Chartist, surgeon, heretic, Archdruid and pioneer in the legalisation of cremation in the British Isles, ‘Dr’ William Price was undoubtedly one of the most flamboyant, romantic and eccentric characters in Welsh history. Despite a poverty-stricken background with a father who was an insane priest, Price remarkably became a surgeon by the age of just 21; but after that his life took a very different direction.
Suitable for
- 16-17
- 18+
Admission
£4 - booking required on 020 7869 6568.
Speech-to-text service for deaf and hard of hearing visitors provided by STAGETEXT.
Museums at Night: On the Museum Mile
- 15 May 2014 6-9pm
Visit the Hunterian for an evening viewing of the galleries and a selection of rarely seen archive materials to celebrate ‘Museums at Night 2014’ and London’s ‘Museum Mile’. Over two nights (15-16 May) many of the 13 Museums represented on a route stretching from Aldwych to Kings Cross will be opening their doors after-hours to the public and pre-booked walking tours run by ‘InMidtown’ will move between selected venues. Discover some of the many connections between the museums of the ‘Mile’ through the people and objects represented in their collections.
Places on the InMidtown tours are strictly limited and must be pre-booked. Information about these and other tours can be found at www.gotomidtown.co.uk/walks.
Visit www.museum-mile.org.uk to find out about the other museums on the mile and their Museums at Night openings - pre-booking may be required for some venues and access may be limited due to size.
Suitable for
- Any age
Admission
Free event. No booking is required to visit the Hunterian Museum but entry may be limited or staggered due to size of venue.
Website
'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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