THE SCIENCE MUSEUM LONDON,The Science Museum London, is one of three major museums situated on Exhibition Road, South Kensington in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. The other two are The Victoria & Albert Museum ( commonly referred to as the V & A Museum) and the Natural History Museum. Each one of them, is a major Tourist Attraction in London and each one a world class museum in it's own right. The Science Museum is part of the National Museum of Science and Industry. They owe their existence as much to the influence exerted by Prince Albert, the husband of Queen Victoria as to anything else. It was the profits generated by the hugely successful Great Exhibition, which was held in 1851 which he used wisely, to develope both a cultural and educational area in this district of south west London. A museum was founded here in 1857 by Bennet Woodcroft, an English Textile manufacturer and leading light in patent reform. The Patent Office Library, which he founded, is now part of the British Library and the collections of his other foundation the Patent Museum are in the Science Museum London. It was after the Great Exhibition in 1851 and as a result of the reorganizing of the British Patent Office in 1852, that he became the Superintendant of Specifications, a position which gave him the chance to build a private collection of historical machinery. The Patent Office, i.e. Woodcroft, was invited to bring together a collection of industrial equipment, a collection from the Royal Society of Arts and surplus items from the Great Exhibition, which could be put on display as part of the South Kensington Museum. When the Museum opened in 1857, it contained a seperate Patent Office Museum, with Woodcroft remaining in charge until he retired in 1876. This collection contained many of the most famous exhibits on display in what is now the Science Museum. The contents of the Patent Office Museum, were transferred to the South Kensington Museum in 1883 and renamed the Science Museum in 1885. The Art Collections were renamed the Art Museum, finally becoming what is now the Victoria and Albert Museum (V and A Museum). It was due to his efforts that the museum acquired the famous 'Puffing Billy', the world's oldest surviving steam railway locomotive, built in 1814, George Stephenson's 'Rocket', 1829, which had set the standards for the design of locomotives and the engine of Henry Bell's 'Comet' 1812, the first commercially operated steamship in Europe. How To Get There London Underground South Kensington Station For The Circle line District line Piccadilly line A pedestrian tunnel connects the Underground station with the museum complex. Just a short 10 minute walk eastwards along the Cromwell Road will take you to Harrods Department Store. Admission Charges Admission is Free. Some special exhibitions have an entrance fee. Science Museum Opening Times : - 10:00 to 18:00 Daily Return From Science Museum London To A-London-Tourist-Guide Home Page Return To London Tourist Attractions
|
