The excellent Thackray Museum of Medicine (formerly the Thackray Medical Museum) in Leeds has interesting displays focusing on the history of medicine. The museum is housed in the former Leeds Union Workhouse, which was built in 1858 and has been primarily a medical facility for the poor before becoming the East Leeds War Hospital during the First World War.
![Thackray Medical Museum in Leeds, West Yorkshire (Photo: Tom Parnell [CC BY-SA 2.0])](https://englandrover.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/thackray-medical-museum-leeds-1280x853.jpg)
What to see at the Thackray Museum of Medicine
The museum re-opened in 2021 after an extensive refurbishment and now has 11 permanent galleries charting the history of medicine from the Victorian period to the modern day.
The museum is well laid out with exhibits that include Disease Street, a replica of a street in a slum in Victorian Leeds; a recreated Victorian-era operating theatre from the pre-anaesthetic era; a gallery with displays about advances in public health during the Victorian era and a gallery that highlights the different medical professionals that care for us from the cradle to the grave.
There are also galleries that explain how advances in our understanding of disease have transformed medicine in the 20th and 21st centuries and a gallery highlighting the medical response to crisises such as natural disaster, pandemics and war.
Temporary exhibitions at the Thackray Museum of Medicine
The museum also hosts a programme of temporary exhibitions. Current and planned exhibitions include:
You Choose
You Choose (until 5 January 2025) explores innovative medical technology and its potential impact on healthcare. Visitors can investigate concepts like 3D-printed medicine, AI-assisted diagnostics and digital twins for treatment testing. The exhibit showcases developments – from bionic eyes to artificial tongues – that illustrate how these advancements may shape personal health choices. Developed with leading experts, You Choose is an interactive experience for all ages about the future of healthcare.
Projecting Grief
Projecting Grief (until 13 September 2025) is a photography exhibition by Jo Ritchie and writer Laura McDonagh, exploring how creativity can offer solace after loss. Through portraits and interviews, the exhibition captures individuals who turned to creative practices – like music, woodworking and poetry – to express grief and find relief. This collaboration presents a unique look at how creativity can serve as a response to profound personal loss.
Visiting the Thackray Museum of Medicine
The museum is near St James University Hospital, which is around 2.4km (1.5 miles) north of central Leeds and you can walk into the city centre in around 30 minutes.
Entry is a relatively pricey £11.95 but tickets are valid for 12 months and you can revisit for no additional charge during this period. Admission is also free if you have a valid National Art Pass.
If you enjoyed your visit to the Thackray Museum of Medicine, you may also want to visit the Florence Nightingale Museum, the Alexander Fleming Laboratory Museum, the Old Operating Theatre, the Royal London Hospital Museum and the Wellcome Collection (all in London).
You should allow around 2–3 hours to visit this museum.
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