Transport
Inside the Spitfire
Take a close-up look at Britain's 'most famous plane' and read the personal stories of the people who designed, built and flew the aircraft.
Amy Johnson
Amy Johnson was the first female pilot to fly alone from Britain to Australia. Discover the story behind this extraordinary flight and the person who made it.
Garrett Morgan
Garrett Morgan was a prolific inventor during the early 20th century. He patented two life-saving inventions, the Safety Hood (an early gas mask) and the first three-way traffic signal. He was also an active campaigner for the rights and welfare of black people.
John C. Bourne
John Cooke Bourne was a prolific artist and illustrator who pioneered the realistic depiction of the construction of the railways in Britain.
Railway posters
The period between the fourmation of the "big four" railway companies in 1923 and nationalisation in 1947 was a golden age of graphic design. This exhiblet celebrates the art of the Southern Railway's publicity department.
The First Flight
Wilbur and Orville Wright were inspired thinkers who made the first sustained, powered flight.
Blockmaking
Pulley blocks in a ship's rigging may appear insignificant, but the machinery invented to build them at Portsmouth dockyard played a major role in manufacturing history.
Advances in aviation
Aviation matures, bringing military terror but also the chance to roam the world.
Over the horizon
Throughout history the societies that have grown and prospered have often been those that were willing and able to explore – and often exploit – other lands, people and resources.