About the Collections

The Science Museum has over 300,000 objects in its care, with particular strengths in the history of western science, technology and medicine since 1700.

It has been uniquely placed to acquire objects recording the Industrial Revolution, and now holds unrivalled collections in this area. Medical artefacts from all periods and cultures also form an important part of its holdings.

Historic scientific treasures of the South Kensington Museum, London, 1876

Science

Our science collections contain the instruments that have made science such a pervasive and powerful element in modern culture.

Medicine

The Museum's medical collections richly represent social, cultural and scientific aspects of medicine. Based on the permanent loan from the Wellcome Trust, these holdings are one of the world’s most comprehensive and wide-ranging collections in this subject.

ICT

Our ICT collections represent how the storage, manipulation and communication of information have become fundamental to human existence.

Engineering Technologies

Our engineering collections embody how human experience has been revolutionized by our capacity to make things.

Some snapshots of our collections

See some examples of the collections that we hold