Science Museum, London
The Science Museum on Exhibition Road in South Kensington is one of the great national museums of London and a member of the Science Museum Group (alongside the National Railway Museum at York and Locomotion at Shildon). The museum holds the most historically significant collection of pre-1830 railway locomotives in the world, comprising the foundation engines of the steam railway age.
The principal railway exhibits are Stephenson's Rocket (1829, the engine that won the Rainhill Trials and effectively defined the modern steam locomotive); Puffing Billy (c. 1814, by William Hedley, sister to Wylam Dilly at the National Museum of Scotland, one of the two oldest surviving steam locomotives in the world); and Sans Pareil (the Hackworth engine that competed against Rocket at Rainhill). Additional historic exhibits include Stephenson's Stirling Single replica, sectioned models, signalling equipment, and an extensive railway archive.
The museum also holds the foundation collections of British science and technology in physics, chemistry, computing, aeronautics, medicine, and space.
History
The Science Museum has its origins in the South Kensington Museum (1857), which separated into the Science Museum and the Victoria & Albert Museum in 1909. The current main building was completed in 1928. The museum is part of the Science Museum Group and works closely with the NRM at York on railway collections, with engines moving between sites for display.
Stations and infrastructure
The museum occupies a substantial neoclassical building on Exhibition Road, with Welcome Wing extension. The railway exhibits are principally in the "Making the Modern World" gallery on the ground floor.
Route and stations
Map: © OpenStreetMap contributors
Special events and operations
The museum runs an extensive programme of temporary exhibitions, IMAX films, lates, and family events.
Visitor information
Free admission. The museum is on Exhibition Road, served by South Kensington Underground (Piccadilly, Circle, District lines).