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Surgeons' Hall Museums

We are open from 10am-5pm, 7 days a week. Booking is not required to visit. If you are looking to bring a large group, please get in touch.

The award winning Museums are open to the public 7 days a week, 10am to 5pm and are home to one of the largest and most historic pathology collections in the United Kingdom.

Surgeons’ Hall Museums reopened in 2015 after a major £4.4 million Heritage Lottery Funded redevelopment project. As one of the oldest Museums in Scotland, the collections grew from 1699 after 'natural and artificial curiosities' were publicly sought, with the Playfair Building opening in 1832 to house the Barclay and Bell collections. Whilst the Museums were initially established as a medical teaching resource, all are now welcome to visit.

Click to view our virtual tour of the museums

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latest news

An Evening with Surgeons' Hall Museum and more!

We've got a brilliant events programme lined up to take us through to Christmas! We have 2 online events- "V" with Florence Schechter and an online talk looking at the history of corrosion casts deliv… read more >>

Quiet morning at Surgeons’ Hall Museum

Our sensory friendly early openings provide an opportunity for those who need a quieter environment to enjoy our museum without the hustle and bustle of the general public. Taking place on Monday, … read more >>

Our new events have launched!

We've been working hard to bring you our summer events programme. Coming up over the next few months we have lunch time talks on dogs in paintings of dissections and, the role of a pathologist. In Aug… read more >>

more news >>

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object of the month

A Foreign Body Find out more >>

outreach and events

30 September 2023 - Blood and Guts: The Twists and Turns of Edinburgh's Medical History walking tour

1 October 2023 - Blood and Guts: The Twists and Turns of Edinburgh's Medical History walking tour

2 October 2023 - V with Florence Schechter

7 October 2023 - Blood and Guts: The Twists and Turns of Edinburgh's Medical History walking tour

8 October 2023 - Blood and Guts: The Twists and Turns of Edinburgh's Medical History walking tour

14 October 2023 - Blood and Guts: The Twists and Turns of Edinburgh's Medical History walking tour

forthcoming talks, workshops and performances

Blood and Guts: The Twists and Turns of Edinburgh's Medical History walking tour. Join Surgeons Hall Museums on their 5* walking tour through Edinburgh’s old town. We will take you through the highs and lows of Edinburgh’s world renowned medical history. Discover the intrigues, rivalries and dedication to the cause as our guide leads you through the sites where anatomists, surgeons and physicians worked, operated and squabbled in the quest for medical advancement. Drawn from the archives at the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh you will hear little known accounts of iconic writers, chloroform tea parties, pioneering women, grave robbing and of course Britain’s first serial killers the infamous Burke and Hare.

Surgeons' Hall MuseumsWe are open from 10am-5pm, 7 days a week. Booking is not required to visit. If you are looking to bring a large group, please get in touch.