Galleries
Imagine what it was like to be a diver in this exhibition of diving suits and apparatus up to the 1960s. Part of the Ships and Marine Engineering galleries, Docks and Diving also includes eighteenth to twentieth century dockyard models.
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.
Share the dreams of the flight pioneers: see the development of aviation from its tentative beginnings to the modern era of mass air travel. Displays include Amy Johnson's Gipsy Moth, the first British jet and a unique collection of aero engines.
The Marine Engineering display tells the story of the development of marine propulsion, from paddlewheels to boilers. You can even step onto a reconstruction of a ship's bridge.
See the extraordinary range of labour-saving devices in this intriguing technological guide to the development of the modern home. Look at the array of gizmos and gadgets, test your skill at identifying mystery objects and attempt to outwit the burglar alarm.
Trace the story of the space rocket. Learn about the satellites orbiting Earth. Find out how we are probing the rest of the Solar System and beyond. In this gallery you too will be exploring space.
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.