Science Museum

Why go

In 1885, the Science Collections were renamed the Science Museum and in 1893 a separate director was appointed. The Science Museum's medical collections have a global scope and coverage. Media Space This gallery is a collaboration between the Science Museum and the National Media Museum in Bradford, home of the National Photography Collection of more than three million images.

What to look for

• Launchpad has now closed, the Science Museum are preparing a new Interactive gallery which opens in late 2016.
• In 2014 the museum launched the family science Energy Show, which toured the country.
• The Art Collections were renamed the Art Museum, which eventually became the Victoria and Albert Museum.

The full story

Temporary exhibitions, however, may incur an admission fee. Origin and history A museum was founded in 1857 under Bennet Woodcroft from the collection of the Royal Society of Arts and surplus items from the Great Exhibition as part of the South Kensington Museum, together with what is now the Victoria and Albert Museum. In 1883, the contents of the Patent Office Museum were transferred to the South Kensington Museum. When Queen Victoria laid the foundation stone for the new building for the Art Museum, she stipulated that the museum be renamed after herself and her late husband. On 26 June 1909 the Science Museum, as an independent entity, came into existence. The Science Museum's present quarters, designed by Sir Richard Allison, were opened to the public in stages over the period 1919–28.

Your next visit

Estimated · Declared scenario and planning estimates; no live opening, weather, queue or booking service.