Thackray Museum of Medicine

You can run anything from a private interview for 10 to a theatre-style conference for 120 in one building, and the hire package covers AV, free Wi-Fi, discounted attendee parking and free entry to the museum galleries during opening hours, which gives delegates something to see between sessions. The Thackray Museum of Medicine occupies the former Leeds Union Workhouse of 1861, a Grade II listed building beside St James’s Hospital on Beckett Street. It opened as a museum in 1997, describes itself as the UK’s largest independent medical museum, and reopened in May 2021 after a major refurbishment. The venue says it is MIA accredited.

Event spaces and capacities

You can match the room to the session, because the venue publishes five named rooms with a figure for each layout. The Moynihan Auditorium is the largest, at 120 theatre style, 80 for dinner and 200 for a standing reception. The venue lists expo events among its uses but publishes no exhibition floor area.

Capacities as published by the venue on its conference rooms page and its meeting rooms page, checked 4 November 2026. A dash means the venue does not publish that figure, and that includes every floor area. Other published layouts are boardroom for 30 in Moynihan, 16 in Hopper, 12 in James Allan, 12 in James Allan A and up to 10 in Baker, plus U-shape for 12 in James Allan and workshop for 12 in James Allan A.

If your group supports local health and wellbeing, you can use The Core free of charge, with Big Core for up to 25 people and Little Core for up to 15.

Getting there and parking

You can offer delegates a direct bus from the city centre or a car park less than 50 metres from the main entrance. Routes 16, 42, 49, 50 and 50A stop outside, and the museum puts the ride from Leeds station at 15 minutes. Its access guide gives the station distance as 2.5 miles (4.0 km).

The pay and display car park costs £2 per hour by coin or card, and hire packages include an attendee discount. Blue Badge parking is free for museum visitors with a permit from reception. St James’s Hospital has a multi-storey a short walk away, and the council runs a few small car parks along Beckett Street. The venue publishes no airport, motorway, EV charging or loading details, so raise these early if you plan an expo.

Catering, AV and accommodation

You can feed delegates on site from breakfast to afternoon tea. The venue says its catering is made in-house from local produce, from breakfast buns and pastries to sandwich platters and lunch buffets, with coffee from North Star, a Leeds roaster. Raise dietary needs when you enquire.

You can include remote speakers or delegates in any of the five rooms. Moynihan has a projector and large screen, full PA, ceiling speakers, built-in microphones and cameras. James Allan, James Allan A and Hopper have cameras and microphones, and Baker has a screen, camera and microphone. Baker can be booked by the hour, half day or full day. Hire rates are not published, and the venue lists no bedrooms, so plan overnight stays separately.

To add a programme extra, adult group visits for 10 or more cost £9 per adult self-led or £16 with a staff talk or tour.

Access for your delegates

You can plan for access needs from published detail. The museum says it is fully wheelchair accessible, and its access guide records a level route from the car park to an automatic sliding main door, a lift to all floors and a Changing Places toilet. The guide also lists free wheelchairs, flashing fire alarms, a hearing loop and a quiet space. The drop-off point at the entrance has no dropped kerb. The ground floor Victorian street has low light, uneven surfaces, smells and sounds, so warn delegates before a gallery visit.

What to ask before you book

• Which capacity applies to your layout? The pages headline Moynihan at up to 110 and James Allan at up to 40, yet their layout tables reach 200 and 50.
• Are James Allan and James Allan A separate rooms or one room divided? Photos on the venue’s site show folding walls.
• Will your delegates see the galleries? They open 10am to 4pm, last admission 3.15pm, and close to the public on Tuesdays outside Leeds school holidays.
• How late can you stay? Moynihan is published for dinner for 80, but the site gives no finish time or licensing hours.
• What is the attendee parking discount, and can spaces be held for your group? The site gives neither the rate nor the number of spaces.
• Which rooms have the hearing loop? The access guide was last updated on 5 November 2020, before the museum reopened, so confirm its details.

To check dates, use the enquiry form or call the venue hire line on 0113 205 6525.

Related on Events Review

• Conference venues in Leeds
• Historic event venues
• Unusual event venues
• Royal Armouries and New Dock Hall
• Cloth Hall Court
• Weetwood Hall Estate
• Science and Industry Museum, Manchester
• National Railway Museum, York
• Turn venue accessibility claims into a usable event plan
• Choose the venue around the event, not the headline capacity

Sources: venue hire, conference rooms, meeting rooms, visit, facilities and accessibility, access guide, history, group visits, community spaces, checked 4 November 2026.