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Libraries, museums and bookstores: Science Museum

Opening Hours

The museum is open
Wednesday–Sunday, 10.00–18.00.

How to get there?

Science Museum
Exhibition Road,
South Kensington,
London SW7 2DD

 

The closest stations are :

  • South Kensington
  • Gloucester Road

About the Science Museum

In 1857, the South Kensington Museum opens where the V&A is now. The museum covered both science and art, and it was not until 1909 that the two sections were formally separated. On this year, the South Kensington Museum was renamed the ‘The Victoria and Albert Museum’. The Science and Engineering Collections were separated administratively and the name ‘Science Museum’ was adopted.

The Science Museum we now know opened to the public in stages between 1919 and 1928. The construction of the building, which was known as the East Block, started in 1913 and stopped because of WWI. It was finished in 1980 after other galleries were built between 1931 and 1963. In 2000, the Wellcome Wing opened. 

At the Science Museum, the collections include objects related to the environment, mathematics, space, communication, computing, art, astronomy, robot, etc... 

Exhibitions

Turn it Up: The Power of Music

19 October 2023 - 6 May 2024

Why does music have such a hold over us? What is it about music that drives us to create, perform, feel, connect with others? After a hugely popular run at the Science + Industry Museum in Manchester, Turn It Up: The power of music has now arrived at the Science Museum in London.

Exhibition Page

Press Release