Hunterian Museum

What is it? 

The Hunterian Museum houses one of the oldest collections of anatomical, pathological and zoological specimens (dead stuff) in the UK and is based on the items assembled by John Hunter, surgeon and anatomist (1728-1793). The collection comprises more than 3,500 anatomical and pathological preparations, fossils, paintings and drawings. Exhibits at the Hunterian Museum include a collection of surgical instruments dating from the seventeenth century, the tooth of a megatherium (an extinct giant sloth) donated by Charles Darwin,  Winston Churchill’s dentures and countless pickled animals. 

The museum reopened in May 2023 following a six-year, £4.6m redevelopment that has rethought and modernised the layout for the 2,000 medical items, anatomical specimens and general oddities on display at a given time.

Why go?

To gape and gawp at some of the truly weird, grisly shit Dr John Hunter gathered in his lifetime, like the cockerel head into which he implanted a human tooth. Not for the faint of heart. 

Don’t miss 

The Evelyn Tables, four wooden boards on which anatomists have pasted real human blood vessels and nerves.  They date back to 1640 and are thought to be the oldest surviving anatomical preparations of their kind. 

When to visit 

The museum opens every Tuesday-Saturday from 10am-5pm. Recommended last entry is 4pm.

Ticket info 

Entry into the Hunterian is completely free. However it can get busy, so we recommend that you book a ticket in advance. 

Time Out tip

If you’re really into the stuff on display at Hunterian, you can find out even more gruesome details on one of its free weekly curators tours, each Wednesday at 2.15pm. They’re drop in only and take just 10 people at a time, so turn up well in advance to avoid disappointment. 

Read about our favourite exhibits in the Hunterian Museum