London Natural History Museum
London’s Natural History Museum promotes the discovery, understanding, enjoyment, and responsible use of the natural world. You can explore the world-class collections, fantastic exhibitions and cutting-edge research online, or visit the landmark buildings …
… or you can just sit and be amazed at the dinosaurs!
- Entry is free! (there is a charge for temporary exhibitions)
- Open Every Day 10:00 – 17:50
- Closed 24-26 December. Last admission is at 17:30.
- Nearest Tube: South Kensington – District, Circle and Piccadilly Lines
- Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, London SW7 5BD, UK.
- Tel: +44 (0)20 7942 5000
London Science Museum
London Science Museum is the world’s greatest Science Museum – for children and adults alike!
First founded in 1857 with objects shown at the Great Exhibition held in the Crystal Palace, today the Museum is world renowned for its historic collections, awe-inspiring galleries and inspirational exhibitions.
- Nearest Tube: South Kensington – District, Circle and Piccadilly Lines
- Exhibition Road, South Kensington, London SW7 2DD.
- Switchboard: 0870 870 4868
- Open 10am – 6pm every day except 24 to 26 December.
- Entry is free, but charges apply for the IMAX 3D Cinema, simulators and some special exhibitions.
Special Exhibitions:
Dan Dare and the birth of hi-tech Britain
Wednesday 30 April 2008 until 25 October 2009. FREE
An exhibition which shows the way Britain reinvented itself as a hi-tech nation after the Second World War. It looks at how wartime research boosted industries such as aviation and electronics, while infrastructure projects rolled out new technologies for health, housing and defence. Design, seen as a key to the nation’s rebirth, went in hand with a boom in British consumer goods and the exhibition will reveal a surprising ‘lost world’ of British manufacturing. Dan Dare, hero of Eagle comic, introduces the show to reflect the spirit of optimism and faith in technology of the time.
New! Does Flying Cost the Earth?
Opens 15 May 2008 until 26 October 2008
How bad is flying for the environment? The aviation industry is in the media spotlight as a contributor of emissions that cause climate change. But has it been unfairly singled out? A new exhibition looks at the extent to which aviation impacts on climate change and takes an investigative look at flying now and in the future. On display will be some of the cutting-edge technologies that scientists and engineers are working on to make air travel greener. The exhibition will also take a look at what passengers can do about this issue and why these actions matter. Sponsored by EADS.
New! Films of Fact
Opens 29 May until 2 November 2008. FREE
Films of Fact looks at the history of science on film, from the birth of television to Tomorrow’s World. It will show rare science and nature films from the archives, some of which have not been seen in over half a century. It will show films which aimed to act as a force for social reform, alongside beautiful nature documentaries and earnest 1950s science news programmes. Films of Fact is accompanied by a book of the same name, written by the Science Museum’s Chief Curator, Dr Tim Boon.
New! Science of Survival
Opens 5 April until 2 November 2008. Entry charges apply
This hands-on exhibition explores how the way we live will change over the next few decades in response to climate change. As visitors journey through The Science of Survival, they will be led by four characters who invite visitors to help them solve problems in a city in the year 2050. In five interactive areas – Drinking, Eating, Enjoying, Moving and Building – the exhibition looks at why the future will be different and what we can do about it today. Visitors explore current global issues and some possible technological responses. At the end of the experience visitors will see how well they survived and discover the choices made by other people.
New! Mummies 3D: Secrets of the Pharaohs (PG)
Now open. Entry charges apply
Part historic journey and part forensic adventure, Mummies 3D: Secrets of the Pharaohs follows researchers and explorers as they piece together the archaeological and genetic clues of Egyptian mummies. Through state-of-the-art computer graphics and dramatic reconstuctions, the film tells the story of one of the greatest finds in modern history: the late 19th century discovery of a cache of forty mummies, including twelve Kings of Egypt, among them Rameses the Great.
New! Listening Post
Now open. On display until 2010. FREE
Listening Post is a critically acclaimed electronic art work, the result of a collaboration between US artist and composer Ben Rubin and statistician and artist Mark Hansen. It is “a visual and sonic response to content and magnitude of online communication…giving form to online ‘noise’”. A hanging lattice of over 200 small screens carry a series of carefully orchestrated live data feeds from various online traffic of public chat rooms and message boards. Presented by The Art Fund.
Plasticity – 100 years of making plastics
Until January 2009 FREE
The first completely man-made material, Bakelite, was discovered 100 years ago. This exhibition looks back at Leo Baekeland’s world-changing discovery and displays just some of the cornucopia of new plastics and products which followed, from nylon stockings to Tupperware and Ekco radios. Supported by SITA Trust and Defra, it also looks at some of the amazing plastic materials currently being produced and what the future might hold for plastics as their environmental impact faces increasing scrutiny.