London is famous for its amazing museums. Today, there are over 200 museums in London. Of course, the British Museum, National Gallery, and Madame Tussauds London are the most visited and famous museums. However, Science & Technology museums are not inferior in their uniqueness and interest to the museums mentioned above. By visiting Science & Technology museums, you can keep abreast of the latest technological discoveries and expand your knowledge about the history of various gadgets, techniques, tools, etc. We give you an overview of the five best museums in London with a technical direction.
The Faraday Museum
The Faraday Museum tells about the scientific work of a famous world-class scientist. Here are tools, devices that recreate the atmosphere of the laboratory of the renowned physicist, as well as his notes and documents.
The Faraday Museum is one of the departments of the Royal Institute. The building was founded at the end of the 18th century on the initiative of the leading scientists of England. The goal of the new institution was not only the development but also the popularization of science through public lectures and experiments.
Here are all the devices that Faraday invented or used for his experiments: the world’s first electricity generator, magnetic spark apparatus, vacuum pump, and much more. Part of the extensive exposition is placed behind glass in the stands gallery. Many devices in a working mess are placed on the scientist’s table and the surrounding cabinets. You can view the museum’s exposition without outside help, as each exhibit provides reference information. The museum is open on weekdays from 9 am to 5 pm.
Science Museum
The London Science Museum opened its doors to visitors in 1857. Bennett Woodcroft created the institution. The museum included exhibits from the Great Exhibition, which was held in 1851, and the Royal Society of Arts collections.
Today, museum exhibits are housed in a huge building erected by Richard Ellison. Its area covers over 30,000 square meters, and exhibition halls occupy five floors. Each is divided into galleries dedicated to specific topics, such as clocks, medicine, or astronomy.
The guests of the Museum of Science are most interested in interactive expositions about physical phenomena, where you can touch each exhibit and participate in discoveries. For example, the museum often holds interactive webinars on modern science. Using smartphones, experts can engage visitors and teach them a lesson on “how do I fax from my iPhone” thereby promoting interest in modern science. Also, experts can draw a parallel between the Fax app and traditional fax, demonstrating how science is evolving.
For the convenience of visitors, all items are collected in chronological order, so you can visually study the history of scientific discoveries. Steam engines are located in the first halls, and the latest scientific developments are placed in the last ones. Exhibition halls are open to visitors daily from 10 am to 6 pm. Entrance to the museum complex is free for all visitors.
Greenwich Royal Observatory
The Royal Observatory in Greenwich is the first building in the world that creators built for scientific purposes. In 1675, the first building of the Flamsteed House Observatory became both a residence and a place of work for astronomers. The first of which was John Flamsteed. The building has been perfectly preserved to this day and is open today for everyone.
The Royal Greenwich Observatory consists of several museums. The main attraction, undoubtedly, is the Greenwich meridian, which runs through the observatory courtyard and divides our planet into two hemispheres. The house museum of Flamsteed, the first royal astronomer, is also located here.
There is a telescope near the zero meridians, and sometimes they play a representation of time travel there. A woman dressed in medieval attire talks about her time’s inventions and astronomical discoveries. Not far from the observation deck is a camera obscura, where an image of the surrounding world is projected onto a table in a dark room with the help of a mirror and lenses.
A fantastic place in the complex is the Planetarium for 120 seats. Here you can watch a wonderful “star show.” To get to this place, you need to pay $14. Additional features, such as the Planetarium, cost $8. You can buy tickets both at the entrance to the museum and on their official website. The observatory is open from 10 am to 5 pm.
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