The Hunterian

About the museum

The Hunterian goes back to 1783, when the anatomist William Hunter died in London and left his collections to the University of Glasgow. The museum first opened to the public in 1807 in a purpose-built building off the High Street designed by William Stark, and it is described as Scotland's oldest public museum. In 1870 the collections moved to the university's Gilmorehill site, into halls in Sir George Gilbert Scott's neo-Gothic main building.

The Hunterian Art Gallery stands in a modern building by William Whitfield within the library complex and reopened in September 2012 after refurbishment. Next to it, the Mackintosh House recreates the layout of the Glasgow home of Charles Rennie Mackintosh and Margaret Macdonald Mackintosh, using the original interiors reassembled inside a modern concrete building.

The collections now hold more than a million items. They cover Roman Scotland and the Antonine Wall, geology and fossils, ethnography, ancient Egypt, scientific instruments linked to Lord Kelvin, coins and medals, and major works by Whistler and Mackintosh. The Zoology Museum is in the Graham Kerr Building, and the anatomical collections are held in the Allen Thomson Building.

Highlights

• The Mackintosh House, with reassembled interiors from the architect's Glasgow home
• The Bearsden Shark and the Antonine Wall displays
• The Cleopatra Coin and a Chinese Map of the World
• Paintings by Whistler, Rembrandt (The Entombment) and Chardin
• Lord Kelvin's scientific instruments
• Fossils, gems and dinosaurs in the Hunterian Museum

Permanent exhibitions

• Hunterian Museum – Displays on the Antonine Wall, gems, fossils and dinosaurs, medicine in the west of Scotland and Lord Kelvin's instruments, with the Bearsden Shark and the Cleopatra Coin.
• Hunterian Art Gallery – Works by Whistler, Rembrandt, Rubens, the Glasgow Boys and the Scottish Colourists, one of Scotland's largest print collections and a sculpture courtyard.
• The Mackintosh House – The reassembled main rooms of the Glasgow home of Charles Rennie Mackintosh and Margaret Macdonald Mackintosh, entered through an introduction gallery.

Founded

1807

Operated by

University of Glasgow

Admission & discounts

Admission is free.

Entry is free to the Hunterian Museum, the Hunterian Art Gallery, the Zoology Museum and the Hunterian displays at Kelvin Hall. Only the Mackintosh House charges for admission.

Accessibility

• Partially wheelchair accessible
• Elevator
• Accessible restroom
• Accessible parking
• Service dogs welcome
• Tactile models & exhibits: no information
• Sign language tours
• Easy-to-read materials: no information
• Audio description: no information

In the Hunterian Museum all levels are reached by lift (the mezzanine lift needs staff help), and there is an accessible toilet with baby changing. The Hunterian Art Gallery has a ramp to the ground floor and a lift to the basement and first floor; its toilet cubicles are wider but not fully accessible, and the nearest fully accessible toilets are in the University Library next door. Access to the Mackintosh House is limited to the Introduction Gallery, the orientation room, the hall and the dining room, as the house has 62 steps over four levels and the upper floors are reached by stairs only. The Zoology Museum has three steps with a ramp alternative. A Changing Places toilet is in the James McCune Smith Building on University Avenue, about 5 minutes from the Art Gallery and 10 from the Museum. Wheelchairs can be borrowed free of charge if booked by email or phone. Assistance animals are welcome. Sensory bags (Museum) and sensory aprons (Art Gallery) are available for young neurodivergent visitors, and ear defenders for adults on request. A visual storybook and large print resources are available, and British Sign Language tours are listed in the events programme. Blue Badge holders can park on campus free of charge after registering for a visitor permit.

Kids & families

• Stroller-friendly
• Baby changing facilities

Pushchairs are allowed in all venues except the Mackintosh House, which can only be reached by stairs; buggies can be left on its ground floor. Sensory bags and sensory aprons are available on request for young neurodivergent visitors. There is a baby changing facility in the accessible toilet of the Hunterian Museum.

Getting there & parking

The museum and gallery are on the Gilmorehill campus about 3 km west of the city centre. Bike parking is available on campus.

Amenities & dining

• Café: not available
• Restaurant: not available
• Museum shop
• Coat check: not available
• Lockers

Neither the Museum nor the Art Gallery has a café; campus cafés open Monday to Friday, and more cafés are on Byres Road and Ashton Lane, about a 5-minute walk away. Free lockers are in the basement of the Hunterian Art Gallery. There is no formal cloakroom, so visitors are asked to avoid bringing bulky coats or bags. Gifts and cards inspired by the collections are sold in the Hunterian shop.

Events & venue rental

• Spaces for rent

Events can be hosted at the Hunterian; enquiries go to the events team by email.

Plan your visit