Ever thought you’d like to know more about the history of poo? Well, you’re in luck. The Thackray Museum of Medicine in Leeds has a. brand new fascinating and slightly cheeky family exhibition, Poo! They’re transforming toilet talk into an educational adventure. The UK’s largest independent medical museum is known for tackling subjects in bold ways, and their newest exhibition does just that.
Aimed at children and their inquisitive grown-ups, POO! takes a subject often considered taboo and turns it into an unforgettable learning experience. Developed in response to real questions from curious pupils at Harehills Primary School – one of nine local schools the museum partners with – the exhibition explores everything from “Why is a fart colourless?” to “How do you get constipated?”. Taking place from the 26th July 2025 to 4 January 2026, it brings the science of digestion to life with humour, interactivity and a lot of surprising facts.
Curator Jack Gann explains the museum’s approach: “We wanted to create something that speaks to children on their level – funny, surprising and bursting with real science. Poo is something everyone understands but rarely talks about. Through hands-on activities and items from our 81,000-strong collection, we’ve created something amusing, accessible and full of discovery. If it’s about poo, we’ve probably got the answer!”
POO! is divided into three core themes: colour, smell and texture of poo, shedding light on why it smells and why it’s brown; diet and digestion – explaining how food transforms into waste and why some things pass through our systems unchanged; germs and disease, revealing how what’s found in poo can provide important medical insights, both good and bad.
Visitors will also find quirky and captivating artefacts dotted throughout the museum. These include a real 12th-century Medieval poo, a proctogram chair used in bowel diagnostics, Victorian constipation cures, vintage laxative advertisements, and even a resin-encased poo sphere from the National Poo Museum. The exhibition also showcases 19th-century puzzle postcards promoting Seth Arnold’s Balsam, a patent medicine once marketed to soothe digestive troubles. All contribute to the exhibit’s unique and educational charm.
The archaeological artefacts on display have been excavated and loaned by York Archaeology, managed by the York Archaeological Trust for Excavation and Research Limited, offering an added layer of authenticity and historical intrigue.
To ensure the museum remains accessible to all, the Thackray has introduced a new ‘choose your own price’ ticketing policy, allowing visitors to pay what they can afford. From £9 | Lower cost ticket to the £16 | Pay-it-forward, where you’re able to, help us to help others, and choose this ticket to pay it forward.
For more details on POO! and to plan your visit, head to the Thackray Museum of Medicine’s official website here.
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