Group visits

We’d be delighted to welcome your group to the museum for a fascinating and relaxed day out. Whether you are interested in medical and healthcare specialties, local and workhouse history or just want somewhere interesting to meet, we’d be happy to help you tailor arrangements for your group.

You’ll find key information below and on the pdf download. We look forward to seeing you soon!

Key information

  • Self-led visit for 10 people or more: £9.50 per adult, £6.95 per child (5-16)– visit our two floors of exhibitions at your own pace and relax in the café and shop at leisure.  We are open 10 – 5 (last admission 4.15) and are happy to discuss the best time for your visit. We are usually quieter from 2pm when schools have gone home.
  • Self-led visit with a group talk for 10 visitors or more: £14.95 per adult – as well as exploring the exhibitions meet a member of our Curatorial or Life Long Learning team to get a real insight into one of the following topics:

Bloody Barbers and Splattered Surgeons

Four open cases, one containing a surgery set and the other a trepanning set.
A surgical set alongside two different trepanning kits, one pre-Victorian and one from the Victorian period.

Using objects from our collection, this informative, theatrical talk will bring to life the history of the barber-surgeon, from tearing teeth and bloodletting to bone setting. Travel from Roman York to Medieval London and beyond as we discover the origin of and role of this iconic historical oddity. This talk is complemented by rarely seen objects from our stores and will be an opportunity for the visitor to contemplate their next visit to the hairdresser’s.

This is an approximately 40-minute seated talk, followed by 20 minutes for visitors to ask questions and view the objects up close. Maximum capacity 40 people.

The Front Line: Medical Museum or War Hospital?

A black and white photo of royalty in a military uniform outside a hospital, joined by a large group of nurses.
Photograph from our collection of King George V giving a talk at East Leeds Military Hospital.

Few know that during the First World War, the site of the Thackray Museum was the East Leeds War Hospital. Join us for a tour that explores the experience of real soldiers sent here to be treated. We will hear about their battle wounds; the care provided and reveal the outcome of their time at the war hospital. The tour is guided by a member of staff with a keen interest in military history and ancestry. It will be supplemented by contemporary photographs, poetry, and objects.

This is an approximately a 35–40-minute guided tour of the museum, followed by 20 minutes for visitors to ask questions and view a range of First World War-related objects. Maximum capacity 20 people.

Sex, Marriage and Contraception 

An old page written in French showing a the price of a condom.
An image from a c.1910 catalogue advertising sexual hygiene supplies/products for Doctors and Midwives.

Join our Collections team to delve into the fascinating history of early contraception. This talk uses little-seen material from our Library and stores to showcase contraceptive devices from the late 1800s and early 1900s, explore the troubling links between early birth control and eugenics, and analyse some illuminating marriage advice from 1893. 

This is an approximately 40-minute seated talk, followed by 20 minutes for visitors to ask questions and view the objects up close. Maximum capacity 50 people. 

Content warning: This talk openly discusses adult topics, includes historic sources containing eugenicist language, and includes some graphic illustrations. 

Behind-the-Scenes Store Tour 

Our stores, library and archive are teeming with objects, books and papers with their own fascinating stories, many of which are rarely if ever visible to the public. Smaller groups are invited to go behind the scenes, view some of our favourite objects, and learn more about the challenges of maintaining such a vast and unique collection. 

This is an hour-long standing tour, although a few chairs can be provided at specific points if arranged in advance. The tour is wheelchair accessible, but please let us know any access requirements in advance so we can made additional preparations. 

Maximum capacity 16 people. Groups over 8 will be split in two, with half the participants exploring the galleries, shop and café before swapping round.  

Bookings

  • To book your places contact our Customer Relations Officer on 0113 205 6522 or email [email protected]g here.
  • Free entry for coach/minibus drivers.
  • Free planning visit for one organiser and one free entry for the group visit.