Hunterian Museum

Casson Mann’s complex and fascinating design for the Hunterian Museum helps visitors understand the significance of a world-class comparative anatomy collection. We have created a truly awe-inspiring and people-centred visitor experience, exploring the art and science of surgery from ancient times to the present day. Since COVID, public interest in medical research and care is greater than ever before; the transformed Hunterian is an exceptional guide to the unresolvable dilemmas in the pursuit of human health and well-being - past, present and future. 

The brief was to design an inspiring, accessible and thought-provoking exhibition about the development of medical knowledge, centred on John Hunter - 18th-century anatomist, physician, and surgeon - after whom this London museum is named. The re-design includes contemporary, interpretive galleries and object displays, interactive and projected media, and soundscapes that draw visitors into an extraordinary world. Lead by audience research and imperatives for the revision of the history of surgery, like addressing colonial legacy and the ethics of displaying human remains, Casson Mann’s design befits a leading 21st-century institution of medical learning.

Our compelling exhibition narrative establishes a strong chronology and interweaves it with stories of Hunter, his legacy, the history of surgery and modern practice. Full of surprises and curious juxtapositions, eight galleries trace the evolution of medical knowledge over time. Hunter’s self-professed “grand curiosity” inspires the narrative journey: as visitors explore they engage deeply with Hunter’s insatiable scientific enquiry, responsible for great medical innovations. 

Casson Mann showed a considered approach to a medical collection by highlighting the humanity at the heart of medical endeavour. Patient stories uncover the human outcomes of experimental procedures. The design immerses visitors in distinct time periods, placing events in a social context and lending warmth and vibrance to clinical artefacts: dramatic lighting gives a historical ambience to the Early Anatomy gallery, while a soundscape of animal noises announces the gallery exploring Hunter’s animal menagerie. The Leicester Square gallery evokes Hunter’s family home through its Georgian colour palette and gilded portraits, while the gallery about modern surgery uses recognisably 20th/21st-century lighting and a density of objects to express the explosion of technology that supports the work of medical personnel today.

Innovative, sensitive multimedia devices, a new addition to the Hunterian, help visitors explore complex topics - from the earliest anatomical drawings of the human body to the latest 3D anatomical figure used for medical teaching, the first time a woman's body has been used to show general anatomy. Specially commissioned soundscapes subtly elevate the narrative experience, and interactive touchscreens and tabletop projections encourage curiosity, such as an animated digital version of Hunter’s case books and a 19th-century microscope interactive, where visitors can examine microscope slides. Creatively directed by Casson Mann, they enrich object displays with remarkable archive material.

The design highlight is the Long Gallery. Over 2,000 specimens are displayed in their 18th-century jars with display cases illuminated to spotlight details for visitors’ contemplation. The delicate specimens are sensitively lit to avoid damage, while internal light reflects off the case glass to illuminate graphics from within. Avoiding external lighting in this way, the space looks dark and light emanates from the cases only. Lined with massed specimens which glow, this gallery is an exceptional, impressive, yet contemplative space, which gives great dignity to the display of human remains.

The sensitivity of the design helps visitors understand the collections and respond emotionally. The final gallery shows filmed interviews with patients and surgeons, including heart transplant patient Jennifer Sutton, whose native heart is displayed alongside the interviews. The backdrop is an ethereal, fast motion, filmed scene of a surgical operation - a moving end note which communicates the humanity of medical procedures.

The Hunterian has proved hugely successful in attracting and engaging both the general public and healthcare professionals worldwide. With over 50,000 visitors in the first six months, it looks set to remain among the world’s most influential medical museums and is attracting more visitors than ever before. Dwell time far exceeds expectations of 45 minutes: visitors often stay over two hours.

Feedback is overwhelmingly positive, with audiences commending the sensitive storytelling, multimedia displays, and the beauty of the space. Oscar-winning film director Guillermo del Toro remarked, “It’s provoking, inspiring, and challenging, and it opens new horizons both narratively and in terms of science and imagination…The way the museum has been re-arranged is towards you getting an experience that you will never forget.” Visitor comments include: “shook my foundations to the core, thought-provoking”, “so wonderfully designed, AVs are really brilliant” and “a very aesthetic presentation of a fantastic collection. Beautifully presented in a contemporary context.” One visitor wrote, “Mesmerising. Please never close. We need more of this kind of museum in the world.”