Visiting the Royal College of Pharmacy
Are you planning to visit the Royal College of Pharmacy (RCPharm) library, museum or London office?
This guide will give you the information you need to plan ahead.
If you have any questions, please get in touch by emailing one of the departments below:
Visitor’s guide
Our address is:
The Royal College of Pharmacy
66 East Smithfield
London
E1W 1AW
We are a 5-minute walk from St Katharine Docks and a 10-minute walk from Tower Bridge and the Tower of London (click on the map to see our location).
The front door
The front door to the Royal College is on John Fisher Street, facing away from 66 East Smithfield.
There is a square button on wall on the left.
Press this button and someone at reception will open the automatic door.
Head up the ramp with the museum apothecary jars on your left-hand side.
At the top of the ramp there is another door on your left.
Someone at reception will also open this door for you.
If they are not there, there is another bell you can ring.
Reception
As you come into the main entrance, you will see our reception desk.
You might see one of our friendly facilities team greeting you.
You can ask them any questions you have.
Someone from our reception team will ask you to complete the sign in form on the tablet on the front desk.
They can help you if you need it and will then show you where the museum cases are.
If you are attending an event, they will explain where to go.
Facilities
In reception, there are two sofas and twelve chairs around three circular tables.
Along the corridor by the museum cases there are tall stools by a counter.
You are welcome to sit anywhere you like.
There is alcohol gel at the front door and at reception if you wish to clean your hands.
If you would like a glass of water, please ask the reception team.
If you need to use the toilet, they are through the door on the left by the lifts.
You will then go through another door in front of you.
There is an accessible toilet through the first door on the right.
There is a toilet, a sink, and a hand dryer in this room.
The ladies’ toilet is on the second door on the right.
There are three cubicles, a long sink with three taps, and a hand dryer in this room.
The men’s toilet is on the door straight ahead.
There is a hand dryer, a sink, two cubicles and two urinals in this room.
The museum
The museum is split into three sections. The first is the case of apothecary jars and mortars on the right hand side of reception.
If you have any questions, the reception team will be happy to help. You can take photographs of anything you like.
Then there is a section on the right hand side of the lifts.
This looks at the history of pharmacy before 1841.
In this section you will find drawers that you can open.
The third section is to the left hand side of reception. This looks at pharmacy after 1841.
There are printed guides and large print guides by each case.
Please feel free to take a look at them.
The library
As a pharmacy student, pharmacist, pharmaceutical scientist or retired pharmacist, you are eligible for RCPharm membership which gives you access to our library.
Please email [email protected] to make an appointment, and our librarian will help you access everything you need.
If you’re not a member and not eligible to join, please also book an appointment with the librarian.
The archive
If you want to use the museum for research, please email [email protected] to make an appointment.
When you arrive, our museum manager will show you to the library and explain how to use the material.
If you have any questions, they will be happy to help you.
Leaving the museum
As you leave, someone from reception will ask you to sign out on the tablet.
They will open the front door for you. There is also a contactless door release pad.
Just wave your hand in front of it to open the door.
The contactless door release for the second door is on your right.
Wave your hand in front of the door release pad to open the door.
Thank you for visiting the Royal College of Pharmacy.