Building on our heritage: the future of our Lincoln's Inn Fields buildings
We are redeveloping our London home in Lincoln’s Inn Fields
Our two existing buildings in Lincoln’s Inn Fields were almost completely rebuilt in the 1950s following extensive bomb damage in World War II. However they are uneconomical, inflexible, expensive to run and refurbish, and have become an obstacle to progress.
We plan to transform our London base into a modern, light and flexible facility to provide the best possible education, examination and research facilities for the profession while embracing our prestigious heritage. As well as modernising our inefficient and ageing estate, the redesign will reflect our changing functions as a home for surgical excellence in Britain and across the world in the 21st century.
We have launched a new digital exhibition with images of the building, past, present and future. Find out more.
The project so far
- We submitted our 2016 application for planning consent to Westminster Council on 21 September and received approval in January 2017, subject to conditions as expected.
- We have been discussing our plans with the specialty associations based in the building, including their space within the building during the interim period and post-2020.
- We have developed plans ensuring that we minimise the impact of the redevelopment to the services we provide to our members, customers and visitors, and we will continue to provide information on our website as the project progresses.
Key dates for the future
January 2017
Planning consent approved by Westminster Council
September 2017
Demolition and construction began
September 2018
Groundbreaking ceremony
January 2020
Topping-out ceremony to mark the completed structure
October 2020
Building becomes watertight
March 2021
Practical completion
May 2021
Staff and associations move in
July 2021
First Diplomates ceremony and Council meeting to be held
November 2021
Library opens
September 2021
The View (conference space) becomes operational
January 2022
Professional Surgical Centre opens (where learning, educational activities and examinations
will take place)
January 2022
The Anatomy and Pathology Centre opens
June 2022
Archive service opens
December 2022
Hunterian Museum opens
February 2023
Formal opening
NB: These dates are the most up-to-date we have at the moment, but they are of course subject to change.
Your services in the development phase and post-2020
Education
Interim period
We are continuing to run a range of courses throughout the period of building works. These will be delivered working closely with our partner centres in Manchester and London and further details will be available shortly. Our regional course provision remains unaffected by the redevelopment.
Post-2020
Our aim for 2021 is to provide the profession with a state of the art, flexible and adaptable Professional Surgical Centre within the redeveloped RCS building that can be used for courses, innovation, development and piloting, and research. We are finalising the plans for a forward looking space that provides a great learning environment.
If you have any questions concerning education services, contact education@rcseng.ac.uk or call us on 020 7869 6300.
Exams
Interim period
We are holding examinations in our partner London venues during the development period. The normal programme of exams is not affected.
Post-2020
We have reviewed the available options for holding examinations, which will continue to take place from our redeveloped London home. We are now finalising the design plans to ensure an efficient, modern, working environment.
Library, museums and archives
Our library, museums and archives contain 223,609 boxes and individual items which we have cataloged, cleaned and packed and moved into storage both off site and to collections stores in the Nuffield Building.
Museums
Interim period
We have collaborated with several leading heritage organisations in order to enhance the storage and display of our collections during the development of the Lincoln’s Inn Fields building.
- British Library - Library books & journals
- TNA - Archives & rare books
- NHM - Museum objects
- LMA - Archives
Post-2020
The new Hunterian Museum will, like the current museum, be a world-class showcase for the history, science and art of surgery. Located at the heart of the new building, on the ground floor and providing much improved physical access, it will include a temporary exhibition space and public learning centre. Visitors will be able to enter from both Lincoln’s Inn Fields and Portugal Street and new public facilities of a café and museum shop will be included.
The new Anatomy and Pathology Resource Centre (Wellcome Museum Collection) will be located in the basement area and will be developed, through the addition of online material and AV for use by groups involved in surgical and other medical training and in the study of human health.
Audience and academic research is ongoing and will inform the development and design of both museums.
If you have any questions concerning museum or archive services please contact email museums@rcseng.ac.uk or call 0207 6896560.
Library services
Interim period
Access to all RCS online resources and services including the Current Awareness Service and Literature Search Service will not be directly affected by the redevelopment project with staff fully supporting these services throughout the project. Over 90% of our current journal holdings are available electronically.
The Library Reading Room is now closed to visitors. During the closure we are working with our partner institutions to provide managed access to our collections for study and research.
Post-2020
The RCS library on the first floor will remain and be refurbished and restored. Both physical and online library services will continue. There will be a members' library and a research suite where RCS collections can be studied with dedicated staff support.
Whilst a large amount of material will be permanently stored off-site, there will be a retrieval service in place for access to these books and journals.
Read more about changes to library services, or if you have any questions, contact library@rcseng.ac.uk or call us on 020 7869 6555.
Archives
Interim period
Access to archives is available at our partner site, LMA. You can book an appointment for the service by emailing Sue Isaac at sisaac@rcseng.ac.uk
We currently plan to re-open our service at a new temporary site in central London in autumn 2017. Once the service reopens you will be able to book an appointment via email. There will be some changes to request times as some archives may have to be recalled from another location outside London.
Post-2020
We are allocating the necessary space for our archives in the redeveloped building. More information will be made available once our plans have been finalised.
If you have any questions concerning RCS archives, contact archives@rcseng.ac.uk or call us on 020 7869 6513.
Members' lounge
Interim period
The members’ lounge will continue to be hosted on the ground floor of the Nuffield building throughout the building development project.
Post 2020
There will be enhanced social, networking and catering facilities throughout the building, including a revitalised café on the ground floor.
Overnight accommodation
Interim and post-2020
Club Quarters, less than a hundred yards away on the adjacent side of Lincoln's Inn Fields, will provide hotel accommodation on our behalf to a high standard and at a discounted rate. Quote 'Royal College of Surgeons' when booking.
The discount will be available for events and meetings from 31 March 2017 onwards.