Royal College of Surgeons
Contact us
Hunterian Museum at The Royal College of Surgeons of England
35-43 Lincoln’s Inn Fields
London WC2A 3PE
T: 020 7869 6560
E: museums@rcseng.ac.uk
Library contact details:
T: 020 7869 6555
E: library@rcseng.ac.uk
The library is open 9.30-5.30 Mon-Fri (10.00-5.30 on Weds). Historical researchers should make an appointment before visiting.
Project contact:
Simon Chaplin
Director of Museums and Special Collections
T: 020 7869 6570
E: schaplin@rcseng.ac.uk
The Hunterian Museum at The Royal College of Surgeons of England contains one of the oldest medical collections in Britain. The core of the collection consists of over 3,500 specimens of human and animal anatomy and pathology from the private museum of the surgeon and naturalist John Hunter (1728-1793). Following Hunter’s death, the collection was purchased by the government and presented to the Company (nor the Royal College) of Surgeons, where it provided the foundation for the College’s Hunterian Museum in the early 19th century.
Recently refurbished, and short-listed for the Gulbenkian Museum of the Year Award in 2006, the Hunterian is an accredited public museum with over 45,000 visitors a year. Its displays cover Hunter’s work and the development of surgery and its associated sciences since the 18th century. As well as specimens and medical instruments, the museum includes a small but important fine art collection, with works by George Stubbs, Benjamin West, William Hodges and Philip Reinagle from John Hunter’s own collection, as well as a portrait collection built up by the Company and the College since the late 18th century.
The Hunterian Museum is closely linked with the College Library and Archive, which holds an important collection of over 80,000 books, journals and manuscripts that cover not only surgery but also the medical and natural sciences.
The Hunterian Museum has an active research interest in the history of medical collections since the 18th century and the history of surgical instruments. In addition the museum has worked closely with external curators, researchers and artists on a number of exhibitions and other projects. Details of the museum’s current and past exhibitions and events programmes are available through the museum website.
Museum website: http://www.rcseng.ac.uk/museums
Library website: http://www.rcseng.ac.uk/library
Museum and archive catalogue: http://surgicat.rcseng.ac.uk
Library catalogue: http://webcat.rcseng.ac.uk/uhtbin/webcat
The museum is open 10.00-17.00 Tues-Sat, closed Bank Holidays and 23 Dec-2 Jan. Admission is free and no appointment is needed. However researchers wishing to use the reserve collections should make an appointment before visiting.
