A Victorian Mummy Unrolling Demonstration

An intimate recreation of a 19th century mummy unwrapping demonstration.

The practice of unrolling ancient Egyptian mummies as a somewhat surreal public spectacle was first popularised in 1821 by surgeon and antiquary Thomas Pettigrew during the opening of a major exhibition at the Egyptian Hall in London’s Piccadilly. Thereafter, for almost a century, such unrollings became a sensation throughout the UK and across Europe, as Pettigrew and his many devotees filled both public lecture theatres and the private salons of the upper classes with this bizarre entertainment…

This October, journey back in time to 1898 with Egyptologist and cultural historian John J Johnston for this fully staged and atmospheric recreation of a public mummy unrolling in the historic surroundings of Europe’s oldest extant surgical operating theatre.

*No mummies will be damaged during this performance.*