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Royal Pharmaceutical Society Museum, London

The Royal Pharmaceutical Society Museum has a collection of 45000 objects, dating from 1842 onwards. There is a bookshop and facilities for research. Only a small part of the collection is open to general visitors.

Pharmacy has become a hugely influential part of medicine, with both beneficial and problematic results. Pharmacy, it could be said, is the result of the Industrial Revolution applied to medicine. This museum is a good place to explore the story of pharmacy, from early efforts in isolating therapeutic substances from plants by Pelletier and Magandie, to the mass production of tablets by people such as Silias Burroughs and Henry Wellcome from their premises in Holborn in the latter nineteenth century. The public display, which is housed in the foyer of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society building, is not large, but there are interesting items on show related to medicines and the dispensing of them. There is also an interactive computer programme which allows exploration of the history of pharmacy.

Opening Times: There is partial opening for general visitors, Monday to Friday 9am - 5pm. Guided tours take place on Tuesdays at 2pm and 4pm, booking is required. Visitors interested in research should ring ahead.

Directions: The Museum is at 1, Lambeth High Street, London. Click here for an interactive map centred on the Royal Pharmaceutical Society Museum.

Access: there is disabled access to all areas.

Contact:

telephone: 020 7572 2210

e-mail: museum@rpsgb.org