Hunterian Museum: The Only London Museum That Asks You to Think Twice

Most museums want you through the door. The Hunterian asks you to think about whether you should come at all.

“The Hunterian Museum contains human remains, including fetuses. Viewing human remains can evoke powerful emotions which some visitors can understandably find difficult. Visitors should consider whether visiting the Hunterian is right for them.”

That is on their own visitor information, not buried in a policy document. It is the single most honest sentence any London museum publishes about itself, and it is the right place to start, because this is a collection of human anatomical specimens rather than a gallery with an anatomy section.

Entry is free.

You are asked not to photograph the remains, not forbidden

The photography rule here is unlike anywhere else in London, because it is framed as a request rather than a prohibition.

“Photography is permitted for personal use only. Please respect the human remains displayed in the museum and do not post close ups of them on social media.”

And in fuller form: “all visitors are asked, out of respect, not to take close up photographs of human remains or post images of human remains on social media or other public digital channels.”

So you may photograph. You are asked not to photograph the specimens closely, and asked not to put them online. No flash and no commercial photography are the only hard bans.

The reason is stated plainly, and it is the thing to carry round the room with you:

“Many of the preparations of human tissue on display in the Hunterian Museum were gathered before modern standards of consent were established. We recognise the debt owed to those people, named and unnamed, who in life and death have helped to advance medical knowledge.”

The College holds two Human Tissue Authority licences, numbers 12423 and 12748, which permit it to store human remains and display them publicly, and it works to the DCMS 2005 guidance and the Museums Association Code of Ethics.

Closed Sunday, Monday and every bank holiday

Three closed days in practice, and the bank holiday line is the one that catches people on a long weekend.

Tuesday to Saturday: 10am to 5pm, with recommended last entry at 4pm.

Sunday: closed. Monday: closed. Bank holidays: closed.

So a bank holiday Monday is doubly shut, and the museum is unavailable on exactly the days most people have free. Plan a weekday or a Saturday.

Entry is free and unticketed, but “Pre-booking tickets is recommended to avoid having to queue at busy times.” Groups of 10 or more book separately.

The free curator’s tour, and the number nobody can agree on

There is one guided tour a week, it costs nothing, and you cannot reserve it.

Every Wednesday at 2.15pm, lasting about 30 minutes. No booking. Request a ticket from the main Reception Desk when you arrive.

Then a small discrepancy the museum has not noticed. Its visit page says:

“the 12 places will be allocated on a first come first serve basis.”

Its FAQ page says:

“10 spaces are available on a first come first served basis and cannot be reserved in advance.”

Twelve on one page, ten on the other. Assume ten, arrive early, and ask at Reception as soon as you are through the door rather than at two o’clock.

The tour is not appropriate for groups, and there are no other guided tours during standard opening hours. Groups wanting a tour must book an out-of-hours visit.

There is also a free digital guide app covering the displays and exhibition highlights.

Your rucksack is not coming in

An absolute rule, with the locker dimensions published so you can check before you travel.

“Backpacks, rucksacks and suitcases are not allowed in the Museum and must be stored in a locker.”

Lockers are first come, first served, which is the risk: there is no guarantee of space, and no alternative if they are full.

Three sizes, height by width by depth:

69.5 x 31.5 x 62.5cm.

64.5 x 28.5 x 45.5cm.

47.5 x 29 x 46cm.

The largest takes a cabin case comfortably. Anything beyond that and you are looking for left luggage elsewhere.

Under-16s must be accompanied, and the reason is stated

There is no minimum age, but there is a supervision rule, and the museum explains why rather than leaving it as policy.

“No, there is no age limit for entry the Hunterian Museum, however please be mindful that there are displays of human remains that some young people may find upsetting. A responsible guardian should make the decision if the museum will be appropriate for very young or sensitive visitors.”

Then: “due to the human remains on display only children under 16 must be accompanied by a responsible adult.”

So a 16 year old may come alone. Below that, an adult comes too, and the decision about whether a particular child should see it is explicitly left to the adult.

Pushchairs fit through the door but not round the corners

Honest about a practical problem most museums gloss over.

“Yes, you can if you have small children who require it. However, there are several tight corners and narrow spaces that make it difficult to manoeuvre a pushchair so please be mindful not to block any pathways, especially at busy times.”

And the gap: “There is no designated area to store buggies and pushchairs at the college.”

So the buggy comes round with you, through narrow spaces, with nowhere to leave it. For a busy Saturday that is worth knowing in advance.

Animals are not allowed except assistance dogs.

The shop has no website

A small, old-fashioned detail worth knowing if you wanted a souvenir.

“Online or mail ordering is not currently available. Please come to the shop, during museum open hours, next time you visit the college.”

It stocks Hunterian souvenirs, Royal College of Surgeons merchandise, books, postcards, stationery and gifts, and it opens with the museum.

Where it is, and the other free museum on the same square

Hunterian Museum, Royal College of Surgeons of England, 38 to 43 Lincoln’s Inn Fields, London WC2A 3PE.

Holborn on the Piccadilly and Central lines and Temple on the District and Circle are the nearest stations. Charing Cross is the nearest railway station.

There is no parking on site, with metered parking in the surrounding streets and the nearest NCP at London Bloomsbury Square. There is no coach park in Lincoln’s Inn Fields at all.

The useful coincidence: Sir John Soane’s Museum is at number 13 on the same square. Two free museums, both idiosyncratic, both with strict bag rules, a two minute walk apart.

Pairing them takes planning, though. The Hunterian closes Sunday and Monday. Soane’s closes Monday and Tuesday. The only days both are open are Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday, and Wednesday is the one with the free curator’s tour here and the 2pm Picture Room opening there.

How to plan it

Free, but book ahead to skip the queue at busy times.

Open Tuesday to Saturday only. Closed Sunday, Monday and all bank holidays.

Last entry 4pm is the recommendation, not 5pm.

Free curator’s tour: Wednesday 2.15pm. Ask at Reception on arrival, not at 2pm, because there may be only ten places.

Leave the rucksack. Backpacks and suitcases must go in a locker, and lockers are first come first served.

With a child under 16: an adult must come too.

Photographs: personal use, no flash, and please do not post the specimens.

Doing both museums on the square: Wednesday to Saturday only.

Decide honestly whether it is for you. The museum asks you to, and it means it.

Hunterian Museum

Address

Royal College of Surgeons of England, 38 to 43 Lincoln’s Inn Fields, London WC2A 3PE

Nearest

Holborn on the Piccadilly and Central lines and Temple on the District and Circle. Charing Cross is the nearest railway station. No parking on site and no coach park in Lincoln’s Inn Fields

Hours

Tuesday to Saturday 10am to 5pm, with recommended last entry at 4pm. Closed Sunday, Monday and bank holidays

Booking

Not required, but pre-booking is recommended to avoid queuing. Groups of 10 or more book separately, and group guided tours require an out of hours visit

Price

Free. Donations welcome

Standing

The Royal College of Surgeons’ museum of human anatomy and surgery on Lincoln’s Inn Fields, holding anatomical preparations, specimens and surgical instruments

How to get in

The museum contains human remains including fetuses, and states plainly that visitors should consider whether visiting is right for them. Photography is allowed for personal use with no flash, but visitors are asked not to take close ups of human remains or post images of them on social media. It is closed on Sunday, Monday and every bank holiday. A free curator’s tour runs each Wednesday at 2.15pm, drop in and first come first served, though the site gives the capacity as both 10 and 12 on different pages. Backpacks, rucksacks and suitcases are banned from the galleries and must go in a first come first served locker. Children under 16 must be accompanied by a responsible adult.

Where to go next

Sir John Soane’s Museum is on the same square and also free, and free museums in London covers the rest.

The Wellcome Collection is the other great free museum of medicine, and Dennis Severs’ House is the other interior with rules worth reading first.

Questions we get asked

Is the Hunterian Museum free?

Yes, admission is free to everyone, with donations welcome. Pre-booking a ticket is recommended to avoid queuing at busy times but is not required. Groups of 10 or more book through a separate route.

What days is the Hunterian Museum open?

Tuesday to Saturday, 10am to 5pm, with a recommended last entry of 4pm. It is closed on Sunday, on Monday, and on all bank holidays, so a bank holiday weekend is the worst time to try. The only days it overlaps with Sir John Soane's Museum, on the same square, are Wednesday to Saturday.

Can you take photos in the Hunterian Museum?

Yes, for personal use, with no flash and no commercial photography. But the museum asks visitors, out of respect, not to take close-up photographs of human remains and not to post images of them on social media or other public digital channels. It is framed as a request rather than a ban, and it exists because many of the preparations on display were gathered before modern standards of consent.

Is the Hunterian Museum suitable for children?

There is no minimum age, but children under 16 must be accompanied by a responsible adult because of the human remains on display. The museum explicitly leaves the judgement to the adult, asking a responsible guardian to decide whether it is appropriate for very young or sensitive visitors. Pushchairs are allowed but the galleries have tight corners and narrow spaces, and there is nowhere to store a buggy.

Is there a tour of the Hunterian Museum?

One a week, free, and not bookable. The Curator Highlights Tour runs every Wednesday at 2.15pm and lasts about 30 minutes. Places are allocated first come first served on request at the main Reception Desk when you arrive, so ask on entry rather than shortly before. Note the museum's own pages give the capacity as 12 on one and 10 on another, so assume 10. No other guided tours run during standard opening hours, and groups need an out-of-hours booking.

Can you take a bag into the Hunterian Museum?

Not a large one. Backpacks, rucksacks and suitcases are not allowed in the museum and must be stored in a locker, which operate on a first come first served basis with no guarantee of space. The three locker sizes are 69.5 by 31.5 by 62.5cm, 64.5 by 28.5 by 45.5cm, and 47.5 by 29 by 46cm.

What is in the Hunterian Museum?

Anatomical and pathological preparations of human and animal tissue, surgical instruments and the history of surgery, built on the collection of the eighteenth-century surgeon John Hunter. It includes human remains, among them fetuses, held under two Human Tissue Authority licences and displayed under DCMS guidance and the Museums Association Code of Ethics.