Home | History of Science Museum
Source: https://www.hsm.ox.ac.uk
Archived: 2026-04-23 15:34
Home | History of Science Museum
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Home
Welcome
We're open Tuesday-Sunday, 10-5 pm
Plan your visit
Groups need to
book in advance
LIFT OUT OF ACTION:
apologies, we cannot offer disabled, level access to the Museum.
Our ambitious strategy for an inclusive museum
Situated in the heart of Oxford, our beautiful home is the oldest public museum building in the world.
We are on a transformational journey to preserve our building’s heritage and safeguard its future.
Our Vision24 project is all about making your Museum fully accessible and inclusive, so everyone can enjoy it for generations to come.
Find out more
What's On
See all events
Airwaves Alive!
Airwaves Alive!
Saturday 25 April, 12–4pm
Airwaves Alive!
Join us as the Museum becomes an amateur radio station for the day. See messages come in from around the world, send and receive Morse code messages, and join Marconi expert Ken Taylor for a Museum tour.
Suitable for adults and children 8+
How Does It Work (including Light & Space Backpacks)
How Does It Work (including Light & Space Backpacks)
Sunday 26 April, 12.00–4.00pm
How Does It Work (including Light & Space Backpacks)
Join us for an afternoon getting hands-on with our collections — find out how they work, and experience our amazing objects in action. And don't miss our Light & Space backpacks for families.
All welcome. Activities for adults and families (7+)
The Beating Heart
The Beating Heart
Thursday 14 May, 5.30pm – 6.30pm
The Beating Heart
Author Professor Robin Choudhury in conversation with Museum Director Dr Silke Ackermann.
History of Science Museum, Broad Street | OX1 3AZ
Evening event
Relaxed Opening
Relaxed Opening
Saturday 30 May, 9.00-10.00am
Relaxed Opening
A relaxed, morning opening to explore the Museum collections in a quiet environment. Designed to welcome neurodivergent and SEND visitors and those with sensory processing differences.
All ages welcome
How Does It Work (including Light & Space Backpacks)
How Does It Work (including Light & Space Backpacks)
Sunday 30 May, 10.00–14.00pm
How Does It Work (including Light & Space Backpacks)
Join us for an afternoon getting hands-on with our collections — find out how they work, and experience our amazing objects in action. And don't miss our Light & Space backpacks for families.
All welcome. Activities for adults and families (7+)
How Does It Work (including Light & Space Backpacks)
How Does It Work (including Light & Space Backpacks)
Sunday 31 May, 12.00–4.00pm
How Does It Work (including Light & Space Backpacks)
Join us for an afternoon getting hands-on with our collections — find out how they work, and experience our amazing objects in action. And don't miss our Light & Space backpacks for families.
All welcome. Activities for adults and families (7+)
How Does It Work (including Light & Space Backpacks)
How Does It Work (including Light & Space Backpacks)
Saturday 27 June, 12.00–4.00pm
How Does It Work (including Light & Space Backpacks)
Join us for an afternoon getting hands-on with our collections — find out how they work, and experience our amazing objects in action. And don't miss our Light & Space backpacks for families.
All welcome. Activities for adults and families (7+)
How Does It Work (including Light & Space Backpacks)
How Does It Work (including Light & Space Backpacks)
Sunday 28 June, 12.00–4.00pm
How Does It Work (including Light & Space Backpacks)
Join us for an afternoon getting hands-on with our collections — find out how they work, and experience our amazing objects in action. And don't miss our Light & Space backpacks for families.
All welcome. Activities for adults and families (7+)
Alice's Wonderland Adventures
Alice's Wonderland Adventures
Saturday 4 July, 10.30–12.30pm
Alice's Wonderland Adventures
Help Alice find the White Rabbit in a fun gallery-based game.
All welcome. Suitable for ages 6+
Relaxed Opening
Relaxed Opening
Saturday 25 July, 9.00-10.00am
Relaxed Opening
A relaxed, morning opening to explore the Museum collections in a quiet environment. Designed to welcome neurodivergent and SEND visitors and those with sensory processing differences.
All ages welcome
Displays
See all displays
Display: A Healthy Future for All?
Display: A Healthy Future for All?
Display: A Healthy Future for All?
To save lives during the COVID-19 pandemic, scientists took innovative approaches to produce rigorously tested, clinical-grade vaccines and drugs at speed.
But how can these new techniques deliver wider healthcare benefits for all of us?
A Healthy Future for All?
empowers you to discover the science for yourself, and explore some of the big questions around the future of healthcare.
Find out more
Display: Making Waves
Display: Making Waves
Display: Making Waves
Guglielmo Marconi (1874-1937) had a simple vision: to connect the world through wireless technology.
Much of the technology we use today — mobile phones, wifi, GPS, and Bluetooth — can trace its origins back to Marconi’s ideas and devices.
Explore how Marconi’s hands-on science experiments revolutionised how the world stays connected.
Take a look
Display: Lyra's Worlds
Display: Lyra's Worlds
Display: Lyra's Worlds
In the Museum that inspired Lyra's alethiometer ...
Just like Lyra with her alethiometer, we search for answers to life's questions in our moving universe. Journey to our Basement and step into the world of Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials. Discover iconic costumes and devices from the BBC series, explore intriguing dials that inspired Philip Pullman to create Lyra's alethiometer, and send your questions out to the cosmos.
Step into Lyra's Worlds ...
Discovery starts here
Collections Online
Collections Online
Collections Online
Our objects and archives at your fingertips in one, easy-to-use search dashboard.
Start your search
Stories our collections can tell
Blog: Einstein in Oxford
Blog: Einstein in Oxford
Blog: Einstein in Oxford
Andrew Robinson, author of
Einstein in Oxford
(Bodleian, 2024), explores the story behind Einstein's blackboard and the enduring appeal of one of the world's most famous scientists.
Read on
Blog: Digitising the Babbage Archive
Blog: Digitising the Babbage Archive
Blog: Digitising the Babbage Archive
Find out about the Babbage Archive project. Enabled by support from the Clay Mathematics Institute and a UKRI grant, the Museum is conserving and digitising a precious archive of Babbage material.
Read on
Blog: Oxford's sewage disposal system protects against epidemics
Blog: Oxford's sewage disposal system protects against epidemics
Blog: Oxford's sewage disposal system protects against epidemics
MultakaOxford volunteer Valerii Malko, a philosophy professor from Ukraine, shares his research into the history of public health and sewage systems in Oxford.
Read on
Blog: Making your mark: the Comtesse de Lespinasse’s Astrolabe
Blog: Making your mark: the Comtesse de Lespinasse’s Astrolabe
Blog: Making your mark: the Comtesse de Lespinasse’s Astrolabe
From powerful Sultans to a French countess, Dr Sumner Braund tracks down the owners of a rare Mesopotamian astrolabe, exploring the marks they left — and the price they paid.
Read on
Science in the Islamic World
Science in the Islamic World
Science in the Islamic World
We are guardians of the world's most comprehensive collection of astronomical instruments from the Islamic World.
Explore our fascinatingly rich and diverse collection, including A History of the Islamic World in 11 Maps.
Discover the collection
Join our experts as they put a selection of our working scientific instruments through their paces. It's rare we have a chance to handle these objects, so we hope you enjoy seeing them come to life as much as we did.
https://www.youtube.com/embed/AaWuJHQL-bQ
Watch the full series
People
People: MultakaOxford
People: MultakaOxford
MultakaOxford brings the rich, diverse knowledge of people settling in Oxford — many through forced migration — to the History of Science Museum and Pitt Rivers Museum.
People: My Place, My Science (African Families in the UK)
People: My Place, My Science (African Families in the UK)
My Place, My Science
supports young people of African and black Caribbean heritage to enjoy science and build cultural connections.
Art
Interview: Vaccine Trials in Science and Art
Interview: Vaccine Trials in Science and Art
Portrait artist & photographer Fran Monks talked with our colleague Izzy Treyvaud to explore how photography can celebrate the extraordinary stories of 'ordinary' people.
Online Gallery: Islamic Metalwork from the Courtauld
Online Gallery: Islamic Metalwork from the Courtauld
Take a look back at the stunning exhibition of islamic metalwork from The Courtauld.
Science
Blog: Collecting COVID series
Blog: Collecting COVID series
Collecting COVID curator Tina Eyre shares her experiences of working with the Bodleian Libraries to build a 'living history' collection from Oxford University's pandemic response.
Blog: Epidemic Encounters
Blog: Epidemic Encounters
Discover the story of Waldemar Haffkine, the "vaccine pioneer the world forgot", and his 35-year friendship with groundbreaking photographer Sarah Acland.
Belief
Video: The Zodiac - Science or Superstition?
Video: The Zodiac - Science or Superstition?
Join Helen and Mathilde on Zoom to explore the Zodiac through some amazing Museum objects.
Online story: History of the Islamic World in 11 Maps
Online story: History of the Islamic World in 11 Maps
Discover a fascinating journey of scientific, artistic and cultural influence across 1400 years and four continents.
Support your Museum
Volunteering
Volunteering
Volunteering
A big thank you to all our volunteers who make our Museum welcoming, interesting and open to all.
Would you like to join them?
Join our community
We can't do it without you!
We can't do it without you!
We can't do it without you!
Thanks to your generosity, we can keep highlighting ingenious stories that spark curiosity for as many people as possible.
I want to support my Museum
Inspiration in your Inbox
Inspiration in your Inbox
Inspiration in your Inbox
Stay in touch with the latest stories, events, learning resources and museum news
Sign up for our Newsletter
powered by
oxford mosaic
List of site pages
Pause animated content
Skip to main content
Home
Welcome
We're open Tuesday-Sunday, 10-5 pm
Plan your visit
Groups need to
book in advance
LIFT OUT OF ACTION:
apologies, we cannot offer disabled, level access to the Museum.
Our ambitious strategy for an inclusive museum
Situated in the heart of Oxford, our beautiful home is the oldest public museum building in the world.
We are on a transformational journey to preserve our building’s heritage and safeguard its future.
Our Vision24 project is all about making your Museum fully accessible and inclusive, so everyone can enjoy it for generations to come.
Find out more
What's On
See all events
Airwaves Alive!
Airwaves Alive!
Saturday 25 April, 12–4pm
Airwaves Alive!
Join us as the Museum becomes an amateur radio station for the day. See messages come in from around the world, send and receive Morse code messages, and join Marconi expert Ken Taylor for a Museum tour.
Suitable for adults and children 8+
How Does It Work (including Light & Space Backpacks)
How Does It Work (including Light & Space Backpacks)
Sunday 26 April, 12.00–4.00pm
How Does It Work (including Light & Space Backpacks)
Join us for an afternoon getting hands-on with our collections — find out how they work, and experience our amazing objects in action. And don't miss our Light & Space backpacks for families.
All welcome. Activities for adults and families (7+)
The Beating Heart
The Beating Heart
Thursday 14 May, 5.30pm – 6.30pm
The Beating Heart
Author Professor Robin Choudhury in conversation with Museum Director Dr Silke Ackermann.
History of Science Museum, Broad Street | OX1 3AZ
Evening event
Relaxed Opening
Relaxed Opening
Saturday 30 May, 9.00-10.00am
Relaxed Opening
A relaxed, morning opening to explore the Museum collections in a quiet environment. Designed to welcome neurodivergent and SEND visitors and those with sensory processing differences.
All ages welcome
How Does It Work (including Light & Space Backpacks)
How Does It Work (including Light & Space Backpacks)
Sunday 30 May, 10.00–14.00pm
How Does It Work (including Light & Space Backpacks)
Join us for an afternoon getting hands-on with our collections — find out how they work, and experience our amazing objects in action. And don't miss our Light & Space backpacks for families.
All welcome. Activities for adults and families (7+)
How Does It Work (including Light & Space Backpacks)
How Does It Work (including Light & Space Backpacks)
Sunday 31 May, 12.00–4.00pm
How Does It Work (including Light & Space Backpacks)
Join us for an afternoon getting hands-on with our collections — find out how they work, and experience our amazing objects in action. And don't miss our Light & Space backpacks for families.
All welcome. Activities for adults and families (7+)
How Does It Work (including Light & Space Backpacks)
How Does It Work (including Light & Space Backpacks)
Saturday 27 June, 12.00–4.00pm
How Does It Work (including Light & Space Backpacks)
Join us for an afternoon getting hands-on with our collections — find out how they work, and experience our amazing objects in action. And don't miss our Light & Space backpacks for families.
All welcome. Activities for adults and families (7+)
How Does It Work (including Light & Space Backpacks)
How Does It Work (including Light & Space Backpacks)
Sunday 28 June, 12.00–4.00pm
How Does It Work (including Light & Space Backpacks)
Join us for an afternoon getting hands-on with our collections — find out how they work, and experience our amazing objects in action. And don't miss our Light & Space backpacks for families.
All welcome. Activities for adults and families (7+)
Alice's Wonderland Adventures
Alice's Wonderland Adventures
Saturday 4 July, 10.30–12.30pm
Alice's Wonderland Adventures
Help Alice find the White Rabbit in a fun gallery-based game.
All welcome. Suitable for ages 6+
Relaxed Opening
Relaxed Opening
Saturday 25 July, 9.00-10.00am
Relaxed Opening
A relaxed, morning opening to explore the Museum collections in a quiet environment. Designed to welcome neurodivergent and SEND visitors and those with sensory processing differences.
All ages welcome
Displays
See all displays
Display: A Healthy Future for All?
Display: A Healthy Future for All?
Display: A Healthy Future for All?
To save lives during the COVID-19 pandemic, scientists took innovative approaches to produce rigorously tested, clinical-grade vaccines and drugs at speed.
But how can these new techniques deliver wider healthcare benefits for all of us?
A Healthy Future for All?
empowers you to discover the science for yourself, and explore some of the big questions around the future of healthcare.
Find out more
Display: Making Waves
Display: Making Waves
Display: Making Waves
Guglielmo Marconi (1874-1937) had a simple vision: to connect the world through wireless technology.
Much of the technology we use today — mobile phones, wifi, GPS, and Bluetooth — can trace its origins back to Marconi’s ideas and devices.
Explore how Marconi’s hands-on science experiments revolutionised how the world stays connected.
Take a look
Display: Lyra's Worlds
Display: Lyra's Worlds
Display: Lyra's Worlds
In the Museum that inspired Lyra's alethiometer ...
Just like Lyra with her alethiometer, we search for answers to life's questions in our moving universe. Journey to our Basement and step into the world of Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials. Discover iconic costumes and devices from the BBC series, explore intriguing dials that inspired Philip Pullman to create Lyra's alethiometer, and send your questions out to the cosmos.
Step into Lyra's Worlds ...
Discovery starts here
Collections Online
Collections Online
Collections Online
Our objects and archives at your fingertips in one, easy-to-use search dashboard.
Start your search
Stories our collections can tell
Blog: Einstein in Oxford
Blog: Einstein in Oxford
Blog: Einstein in Oxford
Andrew Robinson, author of
Einstein in Oxford
(Bodleian, 2024), explores the story behind Einstein's blackboard and the enduring appeal of one of the world's most famous scientists.
Read on
Blog: Digitising the Babbage Archive
Blog: Digitising the Babbage Archive
Blog: Digitising the Babbage Archive
Find out about the Babbage Archive project. Enabled by support from the Clay Mathematics Institute and a UKRI grant, the Museum is conserving and digitising a precious archive of Babbage material.
Read on
Blog: Oxford's sewage disposal system protects against epidemics
Blog: Oxford's sewage disposal system protects against epidemics
Blog: Oxford's sewage disposal system protects against epidemics
MultakaOxford volunteer Valerii Malko, a philosophy professor from Ukraine, shares his research into the history of public health and sewage systems in Oxford.
Read on
Blog: Making your mark: the Comtesse de Lespinasse’s Astrolabe
Blog: Making your mark: the Comtesse de Lespinasse’s Astrolabe
Blog: Making your mark: the Comtesse de Lespinasse’s Astrolabe
From powerful Sultans to a French countess, Dr Sumner Braund tracks down the owners of a rare Mesopotamian astrolabe, exploring the marks they left — and the price they paid.
Read on
Science in the Islamic World
Science in the Islamic World
Science in the Islamic World
We are guardians of the world's most comprehensive collection of astronomical instruments from the Islamic World.
Explore our fascinatingly rich and diverse collection, including A History of the Islamic World in 11 Maps.
Discover the collection
Join our experts as they put a selection of our working scientific instruments through their paces. It's rare we have a chance to handle these objects, so we hope you enjoy seeing them come to life as much as we did.
https://www.youtube.com/embed/AaWuJHQL-bQ
Watch the full series
People
People: MultakaOxford
People: MultakaOxford
MultakaOxford brings the rich, diverse knowledge of people settling in Oxford — many through forced migration — to the History of Science Museum and Pitt Rivers Museum.
People: My Place, My Science (African Families in the UK)
People: My Place, My Science (African Families in the UK)
My Place, My Science
supports young people of African and black Caribbean heritage to enjoy science and build cultural connections.
Art
Interview: Vaccine Trials in Science and Art
Interview: Vaccine Trials in Science and Art
Portrait artist & photographer Fran Monks talked with our colleague Izzy Treyvaud to explore how photography can celebrate the extraordinary stories of 'ordinary' people.
Online Gallery: Islamic Metalwork from the Courtauld
Online Gallery: Islamic Metalwork from the Courtauld
Take a look back at the stunning exhibition of islamic metalwork from The Courtauld.
Science
Blog: Collecting COVID series
Blog: Collecting COVID series
Collecting COVID curator Tina Eyre shares her experiences of working with the Bodleian Libraries to build a 'living history' collection from Oxford University's pandemic response.
Blog: Epidemic Encounters
Blog: Epidemic Encounters
Discover the story of Waldemar Haffkine, the "vaccine pioneer the world forgot", and his 35-year friendship with groundbreaking photographer Sarah Acland.
Belief
Video: The Zodiac - Science or Superstition?
Video: The Zodiac - Science or Superstition?
Join Helen and Mathilde on Zoom to explore the Zodiac through some amazing Museum objects.
Online story: History of the Islamic World in 11 Maps
Online story: History of the Islamic World in 11 Maps
Discover a fascinating journey of scientific, artistic and cultural influence across 1400 years and four continents.
Support your Museum
Volunteering
Volunteering
Volunteering
A big thank you to all our volunteers who make our Museum welcoming, interesting and open to all.
Would you like to join them?
Join our community
We can't do it without you!
We can't do it without you!
We can't do it without you!
Thanks to your generosity, we can keep highlighting ingenious stories that spark curiosity for as many people as possible.
I want to support my Museum
Inspiration in your Inbox
Inspiration in your Inbox
Inspiration in your Inbox
Stay in touch with the latest stories, events, learning resources and museum news
Sign up for our Newsletter
powered by
oxford mosaic
List of site pages