Teasmades: From clockwork cuppas to the smart home
The story of this retro machine goes back over 100 years—and forward into our automated future.
Objects and stories
Explore our collection beyond the museum floor and find out the fascinating histories behind even the smallest objects.
Objects and Stories aims to give you better access to this world-class Museum through our ever-expanding digital resources. Search for over 250,000 objects and archives in Collection Online, take a look at our curator's highlights below, and discover unique and compelling stories—from objects that have changed our world to the intriguing personal histories that lie behind them.
New stories
Collection highlights
Discover the most fascinating, historically significant and awe-inspiring objects currently on display.
Helen Sharman's space suit, 1991—on display in Exploring Space
This is the Sokol space suit Helen Sharman wore on the eight-day mission to the Mir space station that made her the first Briton in space.
© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum
Black Arrow R4 launch vehicle, 1971—on display in Exploring Space
Britain developed the Black Arrow as its national satellite launcher. Based on the smaller Black Knight research rocket, this was a three-stage vehicle standing 12.87m tall.
© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum
Julius totalisator machine—on display in Mathematics: The Winton Gallery
Part of a huge electromechanical machine from Wembley Greyhound Stadium, the totalisator or tote, calculated the odds for each dog in real time as gamblers placed their bets. It also operated a giant display screen.
© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum
Cabinet of foreign weights, 1919–1920—on display in Mathematics: The Winton Gallery
Held at the Royal Mint in London from 1818, this cabinet housed weights collected by British consuls stationed overseas, each drawer containing standard weights from the place marked on the front.
© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum
Le Corbusier chair, 1930—on display in Mathematics: The Winton Gallery
Designed by Charlotte Perriand for the architect Le Corbusier. Drawing from classical thought, Le Corbusier held that all manufactured products should be designed to mathematical rules of proportion, creating a harmony with the human form.
© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum
Crick and Watson's DNA molecular model, 1953—on display in Making the Modern World
This reconstruction of Watson and Crick's model includes some of the original metal plates they used,
© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum
Wells cathedral clock, c.1390—on display in Making the Modern World
One of the oldest clocks in the world and a profoundly significant medieval British artefact, it has been displayed in South Kensington since the late 19th century.
© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum
Caroline Herschel's telescope, c.1795—on display in Making the Modern World
This telescope was made by William Herschel for his sister Caroline who, as well as assissting William in his observations, was a noted astronomer in her own right, discovering eight new comets and three nebulae.
© Royal Astronomical Society
Aerial inductance coil, 1943—on display in Information Age
When it opened in 1926, Rugby Radio Station housed one of the world’s most powerful radio transmitters. This enormous coil was part of that transmitter, responsible for tuning the very low frequency signals that sent messages across the globe.
Science Museum Group Collection
Marconi 1.5kw transmitter, 1922–25—on display in Information Age
On a foggy November night in 1922, the words ‘This is 2LO calling’ announced the arrival of the BBC. Using the Marconi transmitter, the station 2LO took words and music from studios in Savoy Hill near The Strand and transmitted them to listeners in London.
© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum
Pilot ACE computer, 1950—on display in Information Age
Pilot ACE (Automatic Computing Engine) embodied mathematician and computer pioneer Alan Turing’s idea of a universal machine that could perform any logical task.
Science Museum Group Collection
Iron Baby,Antony Gormley, 1999—on display in Who Am I?
This cast-iron sculpture of a life-size newborn baby lying alone on the gallery floor makes a powerful statement about the vulnerability of humans.
© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum
Amy Johnson's Gipsy Moth, 1928—on display in Flight
In 1930 Amy Johnson set off from Croydon in this De Havilland Gipsy Moth aeroplane which she named Jason. Nineteen and a half days and 11,000 miles later, she touched down in Port Darwin, Australia.
© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum
Boulton and Watt rotative beam engine, 1788—on display in Energy Hall
Built by James Watt, this is the oldest essentially unaltered rotative engine in the world.and incorporates all of Watt's most important steam-engine improvements.
Science Museum Group Collection
