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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 Museum Shop website

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latest news

Coronation Weekend Opening Hours

Our opening hours for the Coronation Weekend are as follows:Saturday the 6th of May: Open 10am-5pmSunday the 7th of May: Open 10am-5pmMonday the 8th of May: Closed read more >>

We will be closed on the 8th of May

We will be closed on Monday the 8th of May for the King's Coronation. read more >>

We are Open Easter Weekend!

The museum will be open as usual from 10am-5pm over the Easter weekend. read more >>


Hand Head Legs Torso

forthcoming talks, workshops and performances

Blood and Guts: The Twists and Turns of Edinburgh's Medical History walking tour

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.

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