Surgeons' Hall Museums

Surgeons' Hall Museums are owned by The Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh (RCSEd) and consist of the Wohl Pathology Museum, the History of Surgery Museum and The Dental Collection.

Surgeons' Hall Museums is an award winning museum that is home to one of the largest and most historic pathology collections in the United Kingdom.

Surgeons’ Hall Museums are owned by the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh and consist of the History of Surgery Museum, the Wohl Pathology Museum and the Dental Collection. The museum has been open to the public since 1832, making it one of Scotland’s oldest museums. The museum is home to one of the largest and most historic pathology collections in the world.

Uncover centuries of surgical development with a reconstructed anatomy theatre as a centrepiece. Hear the story of Scotland’s first public dissection and find out the true story about Burke and Hare in our History of Surgery Museum.  Learn the story of Joseph Lister and the breakthrough discovery of antiseptic and James Young Simpson and the discovery of chloroform as an anaesthetic. Find out more about the real life inspiration for Sherlock Holmes and his connection to the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh.

The Wohl Pathology Museum covers topics such as women in surgery and military surgery; from the Batlle of Waterloo up to the Second World War.. In the Dental Collection you will see how dentistry techniques have changed over the years.

The Museum is located in Edinburgh’s city center and is easily accessed by foot or bus and is a 10 minute walk from Waverley train station.

ACCESSIBILITY

- Assistance dogs welcome policy

- Accessible toilets are in the basement of the Museums 

- Disabled access facilities for people with mobility impairments 

- Low counters to ease access for disabled people

- There is a portion of the upper gallery in the Wohl Pathology Museum that may not be accessible to wheelchairs wider than 66cm. However there are accessible interactive touch screens which display the items in these restricted sections.

HOW TO REACH

On Foot
Surgeons' Hall Museums is located on Nicolson Street which is approximately a 10 minute walk from Waverley train station.

By Bus
There are several buses that pass Surgeons' Hall Museums. Buses 3, 5, 7, 8, 14, 29, 30, 31, 37 and 49 all pass through the city centre and stop near the museum. For information on ticket options and timetables and further journey planning visit the Lothian website.

By Train
The nearest station is Waverley which is just a short walk from the museum. For help with journey planning visit the Trainline's website.

By Car
Due to its city centre location, the museum does not have its own car park. We have teamed up with NCP to offer our visitors dicounted parking at NCP Holyrood Road. Park for up to 24 hours for the discounted rate of £7. (Please note: to receive this offer you must as a member of our Visitor Services team for your discount ticket. You will need to keep hold of the original ticket you were issued at the NCP car park to receive your discount.)

ADMISSION

- Adults - £7.50
- Concessionary Rates - £4
- Students with valid ID - £4
- NHS staff with valid ID - £4
- under 16's and over 60's - £4
- Under 5s - Free