Hunterian Museum • Royal College of Surgeons, London

Where? Hunterian Museum, Royal College of Surgeons, 38-43 Lincoln’s Inn Fields · Web: hunterianmuseum.org Opening times? 10 AM t0 5 PM (Tue-Sat); Last entry 1 hour before closing Visiting hours may change Price? Free Time required? A typical visit is 30-60 mins Parking: Nearby car parks Buses: 1, 11, 23, 26, 59, 68, 76, 91, 168, 171, 172, 188, 243, 521, X68 Bus fares Trains: The closest station is Holborn Central Piccadilly Other nearby stations: Chancery Lane and Temple Train fares

Craig’s review… Come and see the severed head of Winnie the Pooh! If that doesn’t entice you into visiting the Hunterian Museum then nothing will. I’m not sure that I’d recommend it to tourists though. It’s more for biology students, I think, and for local Londoners who’ve already seen all of the obvious attractions and are searching for something a bit different to do. It’s housed inside the Royal College of Surgeons so it’s there for the students. And people who like horror movies.

It’s basically just a big collection of pickled heads and skeletons. They’ve even dissected some birds and bees and slit open their throats so you can see all their muscles, blood and bones. Some of them are truly gruesome. You’ll be walking past glass jars filled with foetal pigs, hairless rodents and the severed head of Winnie the Pooh. I’m being serious! They’ve pickled the brown bear from London Zoo that inspired AA Milne to write his children’s tale.

The worst ones are the pickled humans. You might think that I’m joking but I’m not – they’ve got hold of some babies who died before birth and you can follow them along from conception, watching their faces forming and arms and legs stretching and bending into limbs, and finally into a fully formed stillbirth that didn’t quite make it. (I don’t recommend this museum for kids.) If that kind of thing interests you then you’ll probably love their collection of excised tumours.

I see this place as a sister to the Natural History Museum, because that place displays the animals with their clothes still on (with their feathers and fur intact), whilst the Hunterian strips off all their skin and shows you their blood vessels and bones.

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Worth a visit? ★★☆Value for money? freeGood for kids? ★☆☆Easy to get to? ★★★

How to get to the Hunterian Museum

Buses that stop near the Hunterian Museum are 1, 11, 23, 26, 59, 68, 76, 91, 168, 171, 172, 188, 243, 521 and X68

Bus fares to Hunterian Museum
Bus fares	Cash	Oyster & Contactless		Travelcard
		Single fare	Daily cap	One day
		Single fare	Daily cap	Anytime	Off-peak
All zones	n/a	£1.75	£5.25	£6

The closest station to the Hunterian Museum is Holborn Central Piccadilly in zone 1. Plan your journey from Bank, Charing Cross, Earl’s Court, Euston, King’s Cross St. Pancras, Liverpool Street, London Bridge, Marylebone, Paddington, Victoria, Waterloo or another station:

Train fares to Hunterian Museum
Train fares	Cash	Oyster & Contactless				Travelcard
	Single fare	Single fare		Daily cap		One day
	Single fare	Peak	Off-peak	Peak	Off-peak	Anytime	Off-peak
Zone 1	£7	£2.90	£2.80	£8.90	£8.90	£16.60(zone 1-4)	£16.60(zone 1-6)
Zone 1-2	£7	£3.50	£2.90	£8.90	£8.90
Zone 1-3	£7	£3.80	£3.10	£10.50	£10.50
Zone 1-4	£7	£4.60	£3.40	£12.80	£12.80
Zone 1-5	£7	£5.20	£3.60	£15.30	£15.30	£23.60(zone 1-6)
Zone 1-6	£7	£5.80*	£3.80*	£16.30	£16.30	£23.60(zone 1-6)
* Journeys between zone 1 and Heathrow are always charged at the peak rate. Prices are correct as of 2nd March 2025