As an individual or family visitor you can access the museum in three ways. You may visit our formal display, study our reserve collections or arrange a tour of the College's prestigious meeting rooms.
|
|
|
|
Sutcliffe and Giles Room Displays Free to all visitors |
Ophthalmic Heritage Study Visits Pursue more specialised research interests |
College Meeting Room Tours Subject to availability for a modest fee |
The Sutcliffe Room and the Giles Room - Museum Gallery (Admission Free - donations invited).
This is a permanent exhibition highlighting the vast range of our collections and showcasing some of the College's treasures. The displays are constantly evolving and there are also temporary exhibition cases on diverse topics.
The Museum Gallery may be visited by members of the general public, free of charge but strictly by advance appointment.
We are able to accommodate visitors between 9.30am-5pm from Monday-Friday (excluding public holidays). Last appointment 5.00pm. Accompanied children are welcome but please bear in mind that this is a working building. All visits are supervised by a member of Museum staff who will be pleased to answer your questions or supply further information on any relevant historic topic. The Gallery is quite small. An average visit lasts around 20-25 minutes, though enthusiasts for ophthalmic antiques and historic spectacles often spend much longer!
Ophthalmic Heritage Study Visits (Admission Free)
We provide space in our Library for the benefit of bona fide researchers who wish to explore the museum collections in more detail. Items may be requested from the stores for supervised inspection and the museum's subject information files consulted. We also hold a range of ophthalmic trade catalogues (including a limited number stored on microfiche) and information about the collections of related international museums. Our study service is distinct from but complementary to that of the BOA Library.
If you think you would like to study any of our museum resources, including the collection of rare books, please contact the Curator to discuss your needs. Access to study facilities is available between 9.30am-5pm from Monday-Friday (excluding public holidays). Last appointment 4.30pm.
Request photocopying service available at 10p per sheet. Document scanning service also available.
College Meeting Room Tours (Admission Fee charged)
The prestige rooms of the College include the Council Chamber with ante-room, the Panelled Room and Print Room. They contain many of the College's finest paintings, prints, furniture and items of decorative art. It is possible to take a tour of these rooms guided by the Curator for a fee. Don't worry if you're on your own...we'll still give you the full tour! You can book a tour any time between 9.30am-5pm from Monday-Friday (excluding public holidays) with the last appointment at 4.30pm but, because these rooms are in frequent use, the number of available appointments is strictly limited and one or more rooms may not be available - sometimes at short notice.
£5 per person (no concessions; College Fellows and Members free).
Check out our facilities
Book your appointment
The Museum welcomes all potential users. Please refer to our Standards of Service