Sir Harry Platt opened the Biomechanical Laboratory in 1961. The Laboratory and workshop are where Charnley and his engineers – Harry Craven, Geoff Middleton, Ken Marsh and Frank Brown - prototyped, manufactured and tested the implants and surgical instruments. It continues today, to serve the purpose for which it was designed.

The museum offers a visual history of John Charnley’s work with links to previous studies and subsequent developments in hip replacement. Working models give a demonstration of the principles involved in the design of the Charnley hip. A full-scale model of the first clean air operating enclosure and an accompanying video clearly demonstrate the principle put into practice to reduce infection in major joint replacement.