Key Stage 3: Industrial Revolution
Object-rich galleries
Compare your home computer with Babbage's Difference Engine No. 2 in this gallery on the history of the computer. Watch the video on Babbage's ingenious machine, or learn about the mathematical instruments used before the invention of computers.
The ingenious use of steam to generate power helped Britain become the world’s first industrial nation. The steam engines in this gallery range from the earliest type used to the turbines that still generate power today.
The Mathematics Gallery exhibits mathematical instruments and models from the seventeenth century to present day, including mechanical calculators, slide-rules, drawing instruments and polyhedra.
Trace the development of long-distance communications from submarine cables to satellites. This history of the telegraph, telephone and radio is illustrated with many original objects and hands-on displays.
Marvel at the elegance and ingenuity of timekeeping instruments in this rich collection of more than 500 timepieces, including hourglasses, sundials, water clocks and pendulum clocks.