The London Science Museum is one of the most famous in the world. Many exhibits of the museum are absolutely unique. Here you can see the oldest Puffing Billy steam locomotive built by William Gedley, the Apollo 10 capsule in which the astronauts circled the Moon, the Boeing 747 plane in cross section and much more interesting and fascinating.
History of the Museum
The Natural Science Museum in London began its work in 1857 with the opening of exhibition collections of modern and historical equipment. The museum was opened in South Kensington, on the site of the current Victoria and Albert Museum - the largest exhibitions and displays of arts and crafts and design.
In 1862, the scientific collections were moved to a separate building on Exhibition Road. Later, the old building was demolished and construction began on a new project. Now the Museum of Science consists of four buildings and occupies 30,000square meters. There are 53 different collections on display in this vast area.
Museum work
Entrance to the museum is completely free, but tickets may only be required for special exhibitions and events.
Opening hours: daily from 10:00 to 18:30. Galleries begin to close 30 minutes before the museum closes.
Getting to the museum is very easy. The nearest tube station is South Kensington, within walking distance. Bus lines 14, 49, 70, 74, 345, 360, 414, 430 stop near South Kensington tube station. There is no dedicated parking near the museum, and the nearest parking is near the Prince Consort Road Hotel.
Science Museum Address (London): Exhibition Road, South Kensington, London SW7 2DD.
Level 1: Toddler Exhibitions
Visit this level will be interesting for families with small children. After all, the kids will have something to do here.
Exhibitions:
- The Garden is an interactive gallery where kids can explore the main areas of building, water, sound, light and more through play.
- The Secret life of the Home is an exhibition that traces the history of the development of household appliances.
Also on this level there is a picnic area, a cafe.
Level 2: space objects and technologies
This floor also has a shop, cafe, dressing room and information desk.
Exhibitions:
- Making the ModernWorld is an exhibition of iconic objects that have changed the lives of mankind over the past 250 years: from Apollo 10 to the first Apple computer.
- Energy Hall - the history of steam engines of British industry, the workshop of the famous engineer James Watt and the steam turbine of Charles Parson.
- Wounded: Conflict, Casu alties and Care - this exhibition is dedicated to the memory of the First World War and tells about the development of medicine at that time.
- Exploring Space - here you can explore space, rockets and satellites, landing probes and other interesting objects. The exhibition shows how you can live in space - breathe, eat, drink and sleep. This small exhibition explores the history behind the creation of the space rocket.
- Pattern Pod is an immersive interactive exhibit for kids under 8 years old. Here, children can explore the world around them, create their own symmetrical images on touch screens, jump on water without getting their feet wet.
- Tomorrow's World - amazing science stories and the biggest breakthroughs in science.
- IMAX Cinema - Invites you to immerse yourself in the breathtaking world of 3D movies on one of the UK's largest screens.
Level 3: interactive rooms
Exhibitions:
- Challenge of Materials - here you can explore modern materials, gems and strange unusual objects made of cotton, wood, glass, and titanium alloys.
- Who Am I? – the exhibition invites you to get to know a person, to find out how the voice sounds, what makes peoplesmile, how visitors will look in old age and much more.
Level 4: Medicine and Math
Exhibitions:
- Illuminating India - A study of Indian innovation in science, technology and mathematics.
- The Clockmakers' Museum is the world's oldest collection of clocks and clockwork. Here you can see marine chronometers, sundials and examples of intricate hand engraving.
- Energy - The interactive gallery is a great place for kids to explore how energy powers every aspect of modern life. Where does energy come from? What does electricity look like? All this can be found in the Energy Gallery.
- Journey Through Medicine - This exhibit showcases prehistoric surgical instruments and modern medical equipment.
- Mathematics is a gallery designed by Zaha Hadid that explores the fundamental role of mathematics in the construction of the modern world.
- Information Age - Find out how over 200 years of information and communication technology innovations have changed our lives, from the first communication across the ocean to the dawn of digital television.
- Atmosphere - An interactive gallery that takes you deep into the history of climate change on Earth.
Level 5: Family Shows
Exhibitions:
- Wonderlab The Statoil Gallery - Fun with live science shows to help you understand the sciences that shapepeace.
- Fly zone - all about the fuel with which the equipment works. The exhibition offers to conduct an airplane flight simulator with motion effects.
- Space Descent VR is an immersive journey deep into the earth with virtual reality effects.
- Flight - unique life-size aircraft models that hang in the air. This exhibition explores advances in aviation, from early airplanes to modern jumbo jets.
- Engineer your future is an interactive exhibition for teens to play science games, test complex technical systems and watch a movie about engineers.
Interesting moments
At the Science Museum (London), photography can only be taken with small cameras for private and non-commercial purposes. Warning signs will be posted where photography and video is restricted.
For children, the museum holds a unique Astronaut Night, when a child can spend the night in the gallery, where exciting events will take place. A hot breakfast awaits participants in the morning.
Museum Tours
The museum hosts a number of interesting tours of the galleries, where visitors are encouraged to interact with the exhibits through sound, sight and touch. Museum tours are based on specific interests and may include visits to any gallery or site.
For example, now in the museum you can choose one of three themes to choose from:
- Technology and our world.
- Research and discovery.
- "Treasures of the Science Museum".
The price of the tour can also include morning snacks, offers for lunch at a restaurant or afternoon tea.
Where to eat and rest?
The Science Museum has a range of family run cafes and restaurants serving fresh and delicious food:
- The Diner - burgers, salads and desserts. Opening hours from 11:00 to 15:00.
- Energy Café - hot and cold dishes, pizzas, salads and sandwiches. Opening hours from 10:00 to 17:30.
- Gallery Café - vegetarian dishes, salads, drinks. Opening hours: 10:00-17:00.
- Basement Café - coffee and tea, packed lunches and ice cream. Opening hours: 11:00-15:00.
- Shake Bar - delicious milkshakes and ice cream. Opening hours: 11:00-15:00.
- Picnic Areas - bring your own food and drinks here and have a picnic on the dedicated terrace.
Museum Library
The museum has an excellent library dedicated to museum research, history and biographies of scientists. The library is equipped with a reading room with comfortable chairs, work tables and computers for accessing digital material.
Visitor reviews
Tourists who visited the museum note that this is a very interesting place, which will take a whole day to explore. The building is very conveniently located, right in the center of London, admission is free for both children and adults. But to visit the laboratories and experience the state of weightlessness, you will need to buy a ticket. On the upper levels, some exhibitions toopaid. The expositions impress with their scale, there are many interactive halls. Please note that the information in the Science Museum (in London) is in English, that is, all signs and instructions for interactive stands, historical notes and exhibit names will be in English.
There are several cafes in the building where you can take a break and share your impressions. In the museum shop you can buy unusual souvenirs and gifts.
