School Holidays 2024 » October Half Term Events 2023

Thackray Museum Of Medicine October Half Term

Saturday 28th October – Sunday 5th November 2023
Dissecting Stories of the Forgotten 
Join us this half-term as we tell the chilling history of surgery and dissect the forgotten stories of the inhabitants of Leeds Union Workhouse. 
These free and fascinating activities are included in your museum ticket and have been designed with all the family in mind. Activity runs every day of the holidays.
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What’s involved in Dissecting Stories of the Forgotten?

  • Play at being surgeon with our giant operation game. Can you save your patient before the buzzer sounds?
  • Get creative in our dedicated making station and craft your own spooky corpse. See it brought to life in our haunted Thackray graveyard.
  • Come on now, look lively and stand up straight, Matron is coming! Our daily talks will bring to life a day in the workhouse, and reveal your chances of survival on the Victorian operating table
  • Show and Tell: Beckett Street Bodies – Show and Tell: Beckett Street Bodies is recommended for those aged 12+ and is perfect for those keen to learn more about the history of medicine. Get up close to the toolkit of a Victorian surgeon, while hearing about the long-forgotten stories of those on the operating table. Our team explore how dissections and post-mortems from the period shaped our modern understanding of the human body, but at what cost? And would these experiments take place today?
Performance: Workhouse Stories
Sun, 29 October 2023 – Thu, 2 November 2023 12.30pm and 3pm

Meet a blind boat-builder, a ghost and a hard-working scribe in this absorbing story of life in a Victorian Workhouse.Join Kate Hughes, long-term resident, as she introduces you to the fascinating characters who lived and worked in the Leeds Union Workhouse. Hear the stories of blind boat-builder Thomas Bateman, the ghost of Asenath Batley and the perils of paperwork with John King, former Clerk to the Board of Guardians.Puppet maker, researcher and former Thackray Workhouse Research Volunteer, Belinda May brings her beautiful puppetry and storytelling to our museum this half-term. Suitable for everyone aged 7+, come meet her creations and hear the absorbing story of our building, originally built as a Victorian workhouse and home to over 450 inmates.Free with your museum ticket, but limited capacity means pre-booking is advised. This event can be added during the checkout process.

Hands On: Heart Dissection
Tue, 31 October 2023 – Thu, 2 November 2023 11am and 2pm
Ever wanted to try your hand at surgery? Our popular series of hands-on experiences for families is back for a limited time this half term.Every day the average heart beats approximately 115,000 times as it pumps over 2,000 litres of blood around your body. Our team of experts will talk you through the inner workings of this vital organ, as well as a day in the life of a medical student, both in the modern day and their Victorian equivalents.This is a unique opportunity for families to step into the shoes of a medical student and find out first-hand what it’s like to dissect a real heart*.Limited spaces, please book in advance – a museum ticket is required to access this event, and an additional event ticket can be added during the checkout process. Maximum four people per table, including minimum one adult. Sessions are recommended for those aged 7+ and will last one hour.*Non-human! Please note that this workshop uses animal products.How can we adapt this session /workshop to meet your/your family’s needs? Please get in touch by emailing info@thackraymuseum.org 

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