Ground floor (reception area)
Open Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm. Admission is free. No need to book.
Displays on themes from The evolving pharmacy and The Society, then and now, to Pharmacy and Nature, and Making Medicines.
Visitors can also find out how pharmacies have changed over time, and compare today’s experiences with how you trained to be a pharmacist in the 1800s.
The objects on display range from 18th century seahorses to current painkillers, and from equipment used to make pills in the 1800s to jars used to hold 16th century medicinal ingredients. There is also an opportunity to see the architect’s model for the 11-storey building that was first planned to house the Society when it moved to Lambeth in the 1970s.
Our Developing treatments display case focuses on the way that different medical conditions have been treated over time. Each year we examine three conditions from the earliest records to the present day. The display changes in March each year to mark National Science and Engineering Week. The current display explores treatments for:
To find out more about the diseases we have investigated in previous years, click here.
Mezzanine and first floors
There is level access to all areas of the Museum displays. If you have any special access requirements, we would be happy to discuss them before your visit to make it as enjoyable as possible.
Visitors can buy postcards, greetings cards, history books, reproduction jars and British Society for the History of Pharmacy merchandise through the Society’s Library. You can also buy these items by mail order.
The Museum’s online exhibitions explore a wide range of topics connected to pharmacy history. Click on an image below to view the exhibition.
