Visiting the Centre
The Centre of the Cell experience lasts an hour and is suitable for everyone over the age of nine.
We suggest you allow ninety minutes for the complete visit to allow time for getting to and from the Pod from the Blizard reception. Your booking time is the time at which you will be met in reception by Centre of the Cell staff, who will take you over to the Centre of the Cell ‘Pod’.
Once inside, you will gather around a central ‘nucleus’ for a powerful audiovisual display, projected around the walls of the pod, which introduces cells – the building blocks of life. The nucleus opens to reveal touch-table games: you can try your hand at virtual experiments, heal extensive burns and have your cells counted. You also get to see real body parts and diagnose cancer using high-power microscopes.
All of the scientific content in Centre of the Cell is based on the cutting edge medical research going on at Queen Mary and its Medical School. Everyone featured in the films is an employee either of Queen Mary or the Barts & The London NHS Trust.
Your visit is completely free!
If you would like to get an idea of what the experience will be like, please see the Virtual Tour
Why you need to book
Centre of the Cell is inside a working laboratory which is not open to the public.
The exhibition functions in the form of timed shows and you need to book places for the experience.
Everyone will need to register before booking, so that we know how many people are coming and - in the case of schools - what Key Stage the students are in.
To register, please click here.
Registering also makes you an official user of the Centre of the Cell website which entitles you to access specifically targeted information to help you make the most out of your visit.
Documents to Download
Visit information for the general public
Visit information for teachers
Curriculum Links KS2-4. WARNING: Large file!
What to expect in a typical visit
The Centre of the Cell experience is scheduled on a time slot basis and will last approximately one and a half hours. Show times are listed on the bookings calendar
- On arrival you will be asked to report to the reception desk of the Blizard Building, just inside the main public entrance.
- You will then be greeted a member of the Centre of the Cell team who will lead you up the main staircase (there is also a lift available).
- Upstairs, there are toilet facilities and a secure lobby area where visitors will be able to leave any coats and bags.
- You will then cross the glass walkway to the main building to the entrance of the Centre of the Cell pod. Here you will be walking across a coloured glass bridge suspended above the laboratories.
- The Centre of the Cell experience will take place inside the specially designed Pod where visitors will have the opportunity to watch and interact with a variety of innovative features to help extend their understanding of cells and the role they play in medical research.
- At the end of the show you will be accompanied back to the main reception area, collecting any belongings from the lobby area, before exiting through the main public entrance.
Other places to visit
Find out what else there is to do in the area after you have visited Centre of the Cell .
