Science Museum at Wroughton
| The Science Museum at Wroughton | |
|---|---|
 The unimposing entrance to the very large site. |
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| Established | 1979 |
| Location | Wroughton, near Swindon, Wiltshire, England |
| Type | Science museum |
| Director | Ian Blatchford |
| Website | www.sciencemuseum.org.uk |
| Science Museum Group | |
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The Science Museum at Wroughton, near Swindon, England, is the large-object store of the Science Museum (London). It is part of the National Museum of Science and Industry.[1]
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Overview [edit]
The Science Museum took ownership of the 545 acre former RAF Wroughton airfield in 1979, to be used as a storage facility for the largest objects of the Science Museum. A collection of approximately 26,000 objects is currently kept in six of the hangars, from the first hovercraft to MRI scanners, and computers to (de-activated) nuclear missiles. The store is particularly notable for its extensive collection of vintage aircraft, road transport vehicles, agricultural machinery and industrial collections.
Access [edit]
The object collections at Wroughton are not normally open to the public, however "research" visits to see specific objects in store can be booked by application.
The Wood Press [edit]
The largest object at Wroughton is thought to be the Wood Press, part of the last working printing press in Fleet Street. The press was acquired in 2001 and weighs 140 tonnes. It is the size of two small houses.[2]
Science Museum Library and Archives [edit]
The site is also home to the Science Museum Library and Archives, which are open to the public by appointment.
Selected large objects at Wroughton [edit]
- Douglas DC3 aircraft.
- Ford Edsel motor car.
- Boeing 247 aircraft.
- Handley Page Gugnunc biplane.
- Lockheed Constellation aircraft.
Important printed works in the library and archive [edit]
- Charles Babbage's notebook.
- Barnes Wallis’s plans for the bouncing bomb.
- The New Cyclopaedia, or, Universal Dictionary of the Arts and Sciences. (Rees's Cyclopædia)[3]
See also [edit]
References [edit]
- ^ "Science Museum Swindon: Unofficial Museum Guide". aeroflight.co.uk. Retrieved 30 August 2011.
- ^ Big Object storage. sciencemuseum.org.uk 2011. Retrieved 20 September 2011.
- ^ "The subversive encyclopedia." by John Underwood in Science Museum Library & Archives Newsletter, Spring/Summer 2010.
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Collections of Science Museum at Wroughton |
External links [edit]
Coordinates: 51°30′44.1″N 1°48′46″W / 51.512250°N 1.81278°W
