Many of the most exciting attractions and best museums in London are dedicated to all things scientific.
By its nature, the world of science is obsessed with looking to the future, but that shouldn’t come at the expense of forgetting about the astonishing achievements of its pioneering past. As a historic world-famous capital city, London has a rich and proud history of being at the forefront of many of the scientific discoveries that have shaped the way we live today and how we will continue to progress in the future. Whether you’re a science fan yourself, have a future scientist in the family, enjoy an interest in how things work and why, or love hearing about the gorier side of medical history, science capital London has something new and exciting to offer you.
The Science Museum
Most people pay the suggested donation at the door, but even so, this immense dedication to human discovery represents one of the best and cheapest days out it’s possible to have in London. In fact you will need more than a day if you’re going to make it up to the top floor, having explored everything beneath. Even without the temporary exhibitions and engaging school holiday activities, including bubble shows and screenings at the IMAX cinema, there is a whole world of discovery to explore here. Highlights include amazing exhibits dedicated to the history of flight, space travel, agriculture, medicine and the advances in domestic life in Britain. The imaginatively displayed interactive exhibits are designed to attract the attention of everyone, science fan or not.
The Wellcome Collection
Describing itself as the ‘free destination for the incurably curious’, this occasionally overlooked gem of a museum on London’s busy Euston Road prides itself on having the ethos of what it means to be human at its heart. Named after the prolific 19th century collector Henry Wellcome, the Wellcome Collection has a strong community spirit and a great schedule of temporary exhibitions. Permanent exhibitions include Medicine Now, which is dedicated to ideas about medical science since Henry Wellcome’s death in 1936. There is also Medicine Man, which focuses on Wellcome’s amazing collection of medical artefacts and objects of historical interest including George III’s hair and Napoleon’s toothbrush. Recently, much of the museum’s energies have been put into exploring the still developing science of the human brain.
The Old Operating Theatre Museum & Herb Garrett
The origins of the huge, thriving and modern St Thomas Hospital on London’s South Bank can be found in the surprising location of the roof space of nearby St Thomas Church. This space was known as the Herb Garrett as it was also used to store medicinal herbs. However, the unusual location makes more sense when you consider that the skylight above provided the best possible natural light for performing and demonstrating operations in the early 19th century. Also, the lack of anaesthetics in those days made for noisy medical procedures and the church roof provided some soundproofing from the inevitable screaming. With an interesting calendar of special events, the Old Operating Theatre is small in size but large in the enjoyment it brings to its fascinated visitors.
Royal Observatory Greenwich
The iconic Royal Observatory in Greenwich overlooking the River Thames is where the history of time itself is told in a fascinating way. Through its Planetarium shows, visitors can immerse themselves in the mysteries of our solar system, galaxy and universe, the science of asteroids, the secrets of the sky at night and much more. There is also a full programme of talks about the Royal Observatory and its pioneering history in the areas of astronomy and navigation that helped make Britain the great seafaring nation it once was. And, of course, when you’re in the home of Greenwich Mean Time, it makes sense to find out what this means and how the Royal Observatory came to be the site of the Prime Meridian of the World.
