History
The Society of British Neurological Surgeons was founded in 1926 and is one of the world's oldest national neurosurgical societies. The first meeting was held at the Athenaeum Club in London on the 2nd of December 1926.
Below is an overview of the History of British and Irish Neurosurgery by Jonathan Pollock, one of the Society’s Archivists. He and Richard Gullan are currently working on a publication to mark the 100th Anniversary to be published in 2026.
A History of the Society (1926-1990) was published by the late Tom King and a copy is available below.
Preparations for the Society’s 100th Anniversary in 2026 are well advanced. There will be a celebratory meeting SBNS100 12-16th October 2026 at the QEII Conference Centre in London. Please mark your diaries! More information will be available on this site in the coming months.
Unit History Posters 2026
The Unit History Posters were presented at the SBNS100 Meeting held at the Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre 12 -16 October 2026 to commemorate the Society’s 100th Anniversary.
East Anglia Region
Cambridge University Hospital Neurosurgery Unit
Hills Road
Cambridge
CB2 2QQ
https://www.cuh.nhs.uk/
Mersey Region
Lower Lane Fazakerley
Liverpool
L9 7LJ
http://www.thewaltoncentre.nhs.uk
Northern Region
Newcastle Upon Tyne Hospital NHS Trust Department of Neurosurgery
Queen Victoria Road
Newcastle upon Tyne
NE1 4LP
http://www.newcastle-hospitals.org.uk/
James Cook University Hospital Department of Neurosurgery
Marton Road
Middlesbrough
TS4 3BW
https://www.southtees.nhs.uk/hospitals/james-cook/
North Western Region
NHS Trust Department of Neurosurgery
Sharoe Green Lane
North Fulwood
Preston
PR2 4HT
Tel: 01772 716 565
http://www.lancsteachinghospitals.nhs.uk/
Manchester Centre For Clinical Sciences
Dept of Neurosurgery
Stott Lane
Salford
M6 8HD
Tel: 0161 789 7373
http://www.srht.nhs.uk/
Royal Manchester Children's Hospital
Oxford Road
Manchester
M13 9WL
Tel: 0161 276 1234
http://www.cmft.nhs.uk/childrens-hospitals
Oxford Region
Oxford Radcliffe NHS Trust
Department of Neurosurgery
Level 3, West Wing
John Radcliffe Hospital
Headley Way
Headington
Oxford
OX3 9DU
Tel: 01865 741166
https://www.ouh.nhs.uk/hospitals/jr/
South West Region
Level 2, Gate 6, Brunel building
Southmead Hospital
Bristol
BS10 5NB
Tel: 0117 950 5050
http://www.nbt.nhs.uk/find-us/southmead-hospital
Bristol Royal Hospital for Children
O'Gorman Building
Upper Maudlin Street
Bristol
BS2 8BJ
Tel: 0117 342 8460
http://www.uhbristol.nhs.uk/patients-and-visitors/your-hospitals/bristol-royal-hospital-for-children/
University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust
Department of Neurosurgery
Derriford Road
Plymouth
PL6 8DH
Tel: 0845 1558155
http://www.plymouthhospitals.nhs.uk
Trent Region
Royal Hallamshire Hospital Department of Neurosurgery
Glossop Road
Sheffield
S10 2JF
Tel: 0114 271 1900
https://www.sth.nhs.uk/our-hospitals/royal-hallamshire-hospital
Sheffield Children’s Hospital NHS Trust
Western Bank
Sheffield
S10 2TH
Tel: 0114 271 7000
http://www.sheffieldchildrens.nhs.uk
Queen’s Medical Centre
Department of Neurosurgery C Floor
West Block University Hospital Clifton Boulevard
Nottingham
NG7 2UH
Tel: 0115 924 9924
https://www.nuh.nhs.uk/
West Midlands Region
Queen Elizabeth Neuroscience Centre
Department of Neurosurgery
The Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham
B15 2TH
Tel: 0121 472 1311
http://www.uhb.nhs.uk
Birmingham Children’s Hospital Department of Neurosurgery
Steelhouse Lane
Birmingham
B4 6NH
Tel – 0121 333 8146
http://www.bch.org.uk/
UHNM NHS Trust Royal Stoke University Hospital
Newcastle Road
Stoke-on-Trent
ST4 6QG
Tel: 01782 715 444
https://www.uhnm.nhs.uk
University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust
Department of Neurosurgery
Clifford Bridge Road
Walsgrave
Coventry
CV2 2DX
Tel: 02476 602 020
http://www.uhcw.nhs.uk/default.htm
Wessex Region
Southampton General Hospital
Tremona Road
Southampton
SO16 6YD
Tel: 02380 777 222
https://wessexhealthlines.nhs.uk/health-lines/neuroline/services-list/wessexneurological-centre/
Yorkshire Region
Hull University Teaching Hospital
Department of Neurosurgery
Anlaby Road
Hull
HU3 2KZ
Tel: 01482 328 541
https://www.hey.nhs.uk/
The General Infirmary at Leeds
Department of Neurosurgery
Great George Street
Leeds
LS1 3EX
Tel: 0113 243 2799
http://www.leedsth.nhs.uk/
Northern Ireland
Department of Neurosurgery
Grosvenor Road
Belfast
BT12 6BA
Tel: 02890 240 503
http://www.belfasttrust.hscni.net
Republic of Ireland
Beaumont Hospital Department of Neurosurgery
Beaumont Road
Dublin 9
Eire
Tel: 00 353 1 837 7755
http://www.beaumont.ie/
The Children's University Hospital
Temple Street
Dublin 1
Ireland
Tel: +353 1 8784200
Email: [email protected]
http://www.cuh.ie
Cork University Hospital Department of Neurosurgery
Wilton
Cork
Eire
Tel: 00 353 214 546400
http://www.shb.ie/
Wales
Department of Neurosurgery
Heath Park
Cardiff
CF4 4XW
Tel: 02920 747 747
http://www.cardiffandvaleuhb.wales.nhs.uk/home
Scotland
Institute of Neurological Sciences
University Department of Neurosurgery
Southern General Hospital NHS Trust
Glasgow
G51 4TF
Tel: 0141 201 1100
http://www.nhsgg.org.uk
Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh Department of Clinical Neurosciences
50 Little France Crescent
Edinburgh
EH16 4TJ
Tel: 0131 536 1000
https://services.nhslothian.scot/clinicalneuroscience/
Royal Hospital for Sick Children
9 Sciences Road
Edinburgh
Midlothian
EH9 1LF
Tel: 0131 536 0000
http://www.nhslothian.scot.nhs.uk
Aberdeen Royal Infirmary Department of Neurosurgery
Forrester Hill
Aberdeen
AB9 2ZB
Tel: 01224 681 818
http://www.nhsgrampian.scot.nhs.uk
Ninewells Hospital and Medical School
Dept of Neurosurgery
South Block Level 6
Dundee
DD1 9SY
Tel: 01382 660 111
http://www.nhstayside.scot.nhs.uk
London - North West & Northern Sector
Imperial College Healthcare
Department of Neurosurgery
Fulham Palace Road
London
W6 8RF
Tel: 020 8846 1234
https://www.imperial.nhs.uk/our-locations/charing-cross-hospital
St Bartholomew’s and Royal London Hospital
Department of Neurosurgery
Whitechapel
London
E1 1BB
Tel: 020 7377 7000
http://www.bartsandthelondon.org.uk/
London – North East and Essex Sector
Department of Neurosurgery
Queens Hospital
Rom Valley Way
Romford
RM7 OAG
0845 1304204
http://www.bhrhospitals.nhs.uk
London - South East Sector
King’s College Hospital
Department of Neurosurgery
Denmark Road
London
SE5 9RS
Tel: 0203 299 9000
http://www.kch.nhs.uk/
Brighton Department of Neurosurgery
The Princess Royal Hospital
Haywards Heath
West Sussex
RH17 7RS
Tel: 01444 441 881
http://www.bsuh.nhs.uk
London - South West Sector
Department of Neurosurgery
St George's Hospital
Blackshaw Road
Tooting
London
SW17 OQT
Tel: 020 8946 7711
http://www.stgeorges.nhs.uk/
London – Central
The National Hospital for Neurology & Neurosurgery
Victor Horsley Department of Neurosurgery
Queen Square London
WC1N 3BG
Tel: 020 7837 3611
http://www.uclh.org/
Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children
Department of Neurosurgery
Great Ormond Street
London
WC1N 3JH
Tel: 020 7405 9200
http://www.ich.ucl.ac.uk/
SBNS Archivists
SBNS Archivists Jonathan Pollock, Queens Hospital, Romford and Richard Gullan, Kings College Hospital
Richard Gullan and Jonathan Pollock have jointly been appointed to the role of SBNS Archivists and are both very enthusiastic about completing the SBNS history book and preparations for the SBNS100 Meeting in 2026.
Jonathan Pollock - I have spent most of my career as consultant at Queens Hospital in Essex and alongside my main interest in skull base, meningioma and pituitary surgery, I have always been fascinated by how it all started. This has led to several projects looking at primary Neurosurgical sources from our early years.
I have developed a strong sense of admiration for the founders and trailblazers of the UK and Irish units. It will be exciting to bring details of our past to the attention of the latest generation of neurosurgeons and to look to the future as we mark the Centenary of the SBNS in 2026.
Richard Gullan I continue to work as consultant at King’s College Hospital, having been appointed to the Brook Unit in 1988, before the amalgamation with the Guys/Maudsley Unit to create the King’s Unit in 1995. This allows me to have firsthand experience of being a full member of the SBNS for 35years and an Associate Member beforehand whilst training, so I have worked within neurosurgery from the period reached by the late Tom King in his booklet, A History of the Society of British Neurological Surgeons, 1926 to circa 1990.
It is a huge privilege to be asked to help work on the archives and history of our Society alongside Jonathan Pollock and bring things up to date in preparation for our centenary year in 2026. We hope to encourage members and their trainees to engage in this work and give a broader overview of all the current units, areas of expertise, both currently and historically, and perhaps highlight the role and influence Neurosurgery in the British Isles has had within the wider world of clinical neurosciences; CT and MRI being a pretty good start!
Luckily there is a strong cohort of senior members that we hope to consult to help explain the development of the current units in the UK and Ireland, with their personal knowledge of some of the founding surgeons and colleagues who have sadly passed away, but did so much to build the service, facilities, and training opportunities we enjoy today.
I sincerely hope the centenary year can be a very special event for us all, and I will be delighted to assist our President and Council in any way to make this a truly excellent venture in which we all can have pride.
We will be chasing you for the gems of knowledge you hold!
Society of British Neurological Surgeons Past Presidents
1926 - 1978
1926 – 1927 Sir Charles Ballance
1927 – 1928 Mr Wilfred Trotter
1928 – 1930 Sir Percy Sargent
1930 – 1932 Mr Donald Armour
1932 – 1934 Mr Bathe Rawling
1934 – 1936 Mr Geoffrey Jefferson
1936 – 1938 Prof. A A McConnell
1939 – 1945 Prof. Norman Dott
1945 – 1948 Prof. Sir Hugh Cairns
1949 – 1950 Prof. Lambert Rogers
1950 – 1952 Mr Harvey Jackson
1952 – 1954 Mr A Dickson Wright
1954 – 1956 Prof. Sir Geoffrey Jefferson
1956 – 1958 Mr W R Henderson
1958 – 1960 Mr George Clark-Maxwell
1960 – 1962 Mr Douglas Northfield
1962 – 1964 Mr George Rowbotham
1964 – 1966 Mr G L Alexander
1966 – 1968 Sir Wylie McKissock
1968 – 1970 Mr J E A O’Connell
1970 – 1972 Mr Richard Johnson
1972 – 1974 Mr W Martin Nichols
1974 – 1976 Prof. Valentine Logue
1976 – 1978 Mr Jack Small
1978 - 2026
1978 – 1980 Mr Alistair Paterson
1980 – 1982 Prof. John Hankinson
1982 – 1984 Mr Peter Schurr
1984 – 1986 Mr Patrick Clarke
1986 – 1988 Mr D Gordon
1988 – 1990 Mr J Brice
1990 – 1992 Mr J Garfield
1992 – 1994 Mr J D Miller
1994 – 1996 Mr T A Hide
1996 – 1998 Mr J R Bartlett
1998 – 2000 Mr G Neil-Dwyer
2000 – 2002 Prof. G Teasdale
2002 – 2004 Mr D Hardy
2004 – 2006 Mr J Steers
2006 – 2008 Prof. J Pickard
2008 – 2010 Mr P van Hille
2010 – 2012 Miss A Moore
2012 – 2014 Mr Richard Nelson
2014 – 2016 Mr Richard Kerr
2016 – 2018 Mr Paul May
2018 – 2020 Mr Neil Kitchen
2020 – 2022 Mr Alistair Jenkins
2022 - 2024 Prof. Peter Whitfield
2024 - 2026 Prof. Peter Hutchinson
The Society Medal was introduced in 2006. Nominations to Council by citations can be submitted by full members and other bodies. The medal is awarded to UK Neurosurgeons in recognition of their contribution to British Neurosurgery.
The award is not necessarily made annually. The recipient is usually invited to the Society Gala Dinner held during the SBNS biannual Scientific Meetings where the award is presented.
The SBNS Medal has been awarded to the following neurosurgeons:
