Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain

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What we do
This section provides information on the functions and structure of the Society, covering: key documents about the Society and its history, the Society's business plan and annual review, the annual British Pharmaceutical Conference, meetings at the Society, people and structures, the Council and its work, devolution/national pharmacy boards, awards and scholarships, job vacancies at the Society, how to complain about the society.
A career in pharmacy
This section provides information on pharmacy careers, pharmacy education policy, undergraduate education including links to schools of pharmacy, preregistration training, the roles of pharmacy support staff, and working in other countries.
Registration & support
This section provides information on areas of support for the profession including registering with the Society, fee structure and payment of fees, updating personal details, clinical governance, audit resources, CPD, postgraduate courses and further training, leadership in pharmacy.
Information resources
This section covers the Society's information resources including the press office, library, advisory services, and museum; it also gives quick links to downloadable documents published by the Society.
World of pharmacy
This section provides information on the wider world of pharmacy, covering: current developments in pharmacy, the use of medicines, science, practice research, working with other UK and international bodies, events and meetings.
New professional body
This section provides information on the setting up of a new professional body for pharmacy, alongside a new regulatory body, as part of a fundamental modernisation of the pharmacy profession

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Registration
This section provides information on Registration with the RPSGB.
Protecting the public
This section provides information on the Society's work as a regulator, including fitness to practise standards, codes of ethics, the pharmacy inspectorate and its roles, how to complain about a pharmacist, pharmacy premises or pharmacy technician, and the Society's disciplinary committees.

Home > Information resources > Museum > FAQs

The Society's Museum answers enquiries on a wide range of topics covering all aspects of the history of pharmacy and the history of the Society. This page provides answers to some of the frequently asked questions.

How do I go about donating objects to the Museum's collection?

Click here for a brief information sheet about our collecting policy. Please do not hesitate to contact us to discuss any potential donations. If they do not fit within our remit, we would be happy to suggest other museums that might be interested.

How do I go about valuing or selling historical pharmacy items?

We have an information sheet about selling and valuing objects, including contact details for specialised dealers. Please contact us to obtain the most up-to-date sheet.

When is the Museum open?

The museum displays on the ground floor are open to all visitors, Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm. There are further displays on the first floor and these can be viewed as part of a guided tour. The tours take place on Tuesdays at 2pm and 4pm. To book a place on a tour, plase contact us on 020 7572 2210 or museum@rpsgb.org. If you have a research enquiry and would like access to items or information in our collections, please contact us to make an appointment.

Can I book a group visit to the Museum?

We are only able to accommodate occasional group bookings. Please contact us to discuss your requirements. If there is some other way that you think we may be able to help you, for example, providing an illustrated talk at your venue, please get in touch.

I'm researching my family history and/or the history of a pharmacy premises. Can you help me?

The Museum offers a charged People and premises research service, based on the complete listings and Registers compiled by the Society since its foundation in 1841. Click here for further information.

Do you sell any items?

The Museum sells books, greeting cards, postcards and replica jars. Please click here for further information on the books and cards. Click here for further information on the replica jars.

Do you have photographs that I can get copies of?

We offer a service that includes the reproduction of images from our photographic archive. Please click here for further information.

The Museum also sells a CD entitled Pictures of Pharmacy Past which contains 30 images from its collections suitable for use in educational presentations. Click here for more information.

Can you help me to answer a question on the history of pharmacy?

We offer an historical research service based on the information, archives and objects held by the museum. Please get in contact with us to tell us about your query or your research and we'll see how we can help you. This might involve the identification of an object that you own, the history of a particular drug, or information about items that we hold in our collections.

We also produce a series of information sheets about the history of preparing medicines in the pharmacy. Click here to look at these information sheets.

Can I see any objects from the collections?

If you would like to see any objects in the Museum's collections, please contact us to make an appointment. Please note that the majority of our collections are stored off-site, and so we would appreciate as much notice as possible in order to make the necessary arrangements to make the items accessible.

Tel: 020 7572 2210
e-mail: museum@rpsgb.org

Are there any other medical museums that I could visit in London?

The Museum is a member of the London's Museums of Health and Medicine network. Click here to link to the network's website to find out about the other members of the group.