Royal College of Surgeons’ museum reopens after £100m redevelopment

The Royal College of Surgeons is reopening its museum following a £100m redevelopment.

The Hunterian Museum – named after 18th Century surgeon John Hunter – has been closed for five years during building work.

While the museum’s Grade II* listed façade has been kept, the rest of the site has been rebuilt.

The building in London’s Lincoln’s Inn Fields holds Hunter's own collection – purchased by the government in 1799 – as well as more recent collections including teeth, bones, ancient remains, and surgical and medical tools.

One particularly controversial item in Hunter's collection – the skeleton of Charles Byrne, known as the ‘Irish Giant’ – will not be put back on display when the museum reopens on 16 May.

Hunter purchased Byrne’s corpse despite the Irishman requesting to be buried at sea.

The museum's trustees made the decision to remove the skeleton from public display after a vocal campaign.

Speaking to The Arts Newspaper about the museum's reopening, Dawn Kemp, director of Museums and Archives at the Royal College of Surgeons of England, said: “It’s not just about surgery. It’s about helping people gain an understanding of the human body."