The Museum has played an integral part in teaching at St George’s since 1843. It was originally housed on two levels in the newly designed Hyde Park Corner hospital, with a spiral staircase leading from the ground floor to the gallery level above.
One of the museum’s most famous curators during these early years was Henry Gray. The specimens were usually obtained from cases encountered at St George’s at post-mortem or during surgery and they afford a unique look at the variety of complaints suffered by Londoners during the late 19th century.
More recently, the collections of South London Hospital, St James' Hospital Balham and the Atkinson Morley Hospital in Wimbledon, were moved to the St George's site when these nearby hospitals closed.
The present day collection contains just over 2000 pathology preparations and continues to be used to enrich the student learning experience. It is an important part of St George's heritage, with research into the collection giving us new insight into the patient experience over the last 200 years.
The Museum contains human tissues and organs and is regulated by the Human Tissue Authority (HTA). We are not currently open to the public, except for bookable event to view our historic collection, but hold a licence to use the collection for education and training relating to human health.