Description of the attraction
The Hunterian Museum and Art Gallery of the University of Glasgow is Scotland's oldest public museum. Its branches are located in several buildings on the campus.
In 1783, William Hunter, a distinguished anatomist, physician and teacher of medicine, bequeathed his many and varied collections to the University of Glasgow, his alma mater. These collections formed the basis of the museum, which opened in 1807. A building was built specifically for him on the High Street, next to the old university grounds. In 1870, the university moved to a new site at Gilmorhill, about 5 km from the old site, away from the city center, crowds and polluted air. Museum collections have also moved to a new location.
Hunter's medical and anatomical collections are the result of his own work and medical research. But besides that, he also collected coins, minerals, paintings and much more. He searched all over Europe for exhibits for his collection.
At first, all of William Hunter's collections were kept and displayed together, as was the custom at the time. The zoological collections were then moved to another building, the canvases were moved to the Hunterian Art Gallery, and the library of 10,000 printed volumes and 650 manuscripts was transferred to the university library. The Hunterian Museum, located in Gilmorhill, displays Hunter's collections, as well as exhibitions about the Roman period of Scotland's history, geological, ethnographic, numismatic collections and an exhibition dedicated to William Hunter himself. In the Zoological Museum, special attention is drawn to the excellent collection of insects.
There is another Hunterian Museum in Great Britain. It is based in London and was founded by John Hunter, the famous surgeon, brother of William. This museum is dedicated to the history of medicine and surgery.
