The Thackray Medical Museum traces the history of medicine in a site that cared for military personnel during World War. Based in the glorious former building of the 19th-century Leeds Union Workhouse, the museum boasts nine interactive galleries. Learn about the sights and smells of Victorian Leeds in this trip through medical history.
For a comprehensive understanding of how medicine has developed, go on the tour through a lineup of permanent exhibits. Get a glimpse of Victorian Leeds on 1842 Street, where you can be seen by the resident quack doctor. Find out about germs in the Disease in Retreat section and study old-world surgeries in Pain, Pus and Blood.
Antiseptic treatments and general anesthetics are explained in Surgery, while Medicine and Conflict shows how armed service personnel are treated for wounds in wars. Let your kids frolic in the LifeZone! area, where games test their reflexes and agility.
Children can attend workshops and talks on such themes as Florence Nightingale, World War I and public health reforms. Temporary exhibits and educational games take place here regularly. Browse the souvenirs with a medical theme available in the gift shop.
Try some of the homemade culinary delights available in the café, where cake stands, scones and hot beverages make up a traditional British afternoon tea.
Pay a one-time fee for a year-long pass and get discounts for kids. Children under the age of 5 enter for free. The museum opens every day from morning until the end of the afternoon.
Find the Thackray Medical Museum beside St. James’s University Hospital in the northeastern part of Leeds. Several buses regularly take passengers to the stops bordering the museum. Consider driving and for a fee you can leave your car in the parking lot. Visit neighboring landmarks, such as the Bilal Masjid mosque, Lovell Park and St. Agnes United Church.
