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Babbage's Analytical Engine, 1834-1871. (Trial model)

Computing & Data Processing

1871

Portion of the mill of the Analytical Engine with printing mechanism, designed by Charles Babbage and under construction at the time of his death, London, 1834-1871.

Photographs of the Works in Progress of the Midland Railway

Photographic Collections (Railway)

1860-1868

A collection of approximately 101 albumen print photographs mounted in 3 albums commissioned by the Midland Railway. Consists of one brown hardback cover entitled "Photographs of the Works in Progress of the Midland Railway - Rowsley to New Mills, 1860-1865", and two red hardback covers entitled "Photographs of the Works in Progress of the Midland Railway - Extension to London", featuring the construction of St Pancras Station, 1867-1868. Photographs of St Pancras are primarily the work of J B Pyne of Haverstock Hill and J Ward of Euston Road, London.

Rover 'Safety' bicycle, 1885

Road Transport

1885

Rover safety bicycle of 1885. (First embodiment of the modern arrangement.) (Saddle re-made by Brooks in 1961).

Model of Wright Flyer

Aeronautics

1903

Model. Wright aeroplane, 1903, scale 1:10.

Great Northern Railway locomotive Stirling Single

Locomotives and Rolling Stock

1870

Steam locomotive and tender, Great Northern Railway, 4-2-2 No 1, designed by Patrick Stirling, built at Doncaster in 1870, withdrawn in 1907.

Queen Victoria's Saloon

Locomotives and Rolling Stock

1869

Railway carriage, London & North Western Railway, Queen Victoria's Saloon, built Wolverton Works, 1869.

Sinclair line selector automatic switch board, 1880-1890

Telecommunications

1880-1890

Sinclair line selector automatic switch board (glass broken and incomplete), patented by David Sinclair, probably made by the National Telephone Company, British, 1880-1890

Battery locomotive, North Staffordshire Railway

Locomotives and Rolling Stock

1917

Battery locomotive, North Staffordshire Railway, Bo, built 1917 for T. Bolton & Sons, withdrawn from service 1963.

Alcock and Brown's Vickers Vimy biplane

Aeronautics

1919

Alcock and Brown's Vickers Vimy biplane.

Decimal watch by Richard Dover Statter and Thomas Statter

Clockmakers

1862

Lever escapement watch by Richard Dover Statter and Thomas Statter. The main enamel dial is divided into 10 hours, each subdivided into ten. The hands move anti-clockwise, the centre seconds hand dividing a minute into 100 seconds. Inscribed ‘The true basis of a universal Decimal system’ Signed ‘Richd. Dover Statter & Thos. Statter, Liverpool No.1’. 1862

Builder's whole, rigged model, of SS 'Great Eastern', 1853-1857

Water Transport

1853-1857

Builder's whole, rigged model, scale 1:96, of SS 'Great Eastern' by John Scott Russell and Company, Millwall, London, England, 1853-1857

Furness Railway steam locomotive 'Coppernob' 0-4-0, No 3, 1846

Locomotives and Rolling Stock

1846

Steam locomotive and tender, No 3, 'Coppernob', 0-4-0, for Furness Railway, designed by E Bury, built by Bury, Curtis and Kennedy in 1846, withdrawn in 1900. Length over buffers: 37' 3"; width: 7' 4": weight: 19 1/2 tons; driving wheels 4' 9".

Bell transmitter with membrane diaphragm, 1875-1877

Telecommunications

1875-1877

Early type of Bell transmitter with membrane diaphragm, invented by Alexander Graham Bell, made by Charles Williams Jr,, Boston, Massachusetts, United States, 1875-1914. This is an exact replica of Bell's first telephone made in June 1875 and was made by the same maker, Charles Williams Jr. of Boston, whose name is stamped on the baseboard.

London Brighton & South Coast Railway locomotive Gladstone

Locomotives and Rolling Stock

1882

Steam locomotive and tender, London Brighton & South Coast Railway, 0-4-2 No 214, "Gladstone", designed by William Stroudley, built at Brighton in 1882, withdrawn 1927.

Great Northern Railway 0-6-0ST steam locomotive, No 1247, 1899

Locomotives and Rolling Stock

1899

Steam locomotive, No 1247, 0-6-0ST, Great Northern Railway, designed by Ivatt, built by Sharp Stewart & Company in 1899, withdrawn from service in 1959. Length: 31' 3 3/4"; width: 8' 7"; weight: 51 tons.

Pasteur-Chamberland-type water filter

Public Health & Hygiene

1884-1900

Water filter, stoneware, Pasteur-Chamberland design, by J.G. Defries & Sons of London, c. 1900

Midland Railway composite carriage

Locomotives and Rolling Stock

1885

Railway carriage, Midland Railway, composite (1st & 3rd class), six-wheeled, No 901, 1885.

William Thomson's Tide Predicting Machine, 1872

Geophysics

1872

Tide-predicting machine designed by William Thomson (later Lord Kelvin), built by A. Légé & Co., 20 Cross Street, Hatton Gardens, London, 1872. The machine is a mechanical analogue computer which traces the tidal curve for a given location, by combining ten astronomical components. It is the first working machine of Thomson’s design, based on his application of harmonic analysis to tidal phenomena.

Queen Adelaide's Saloon, NO. 2

Locomotives and Rolling Stock

1842

Railway carriage, London & Birmingham Railway, Queen Adelaide's saloon, No 2, built in 1842. The under frame was built at Euston Works, the body was built by a coach builder in Gough Street, London.

Model of a Power loom for plain weaving

Textiles Machinery

1857

Model, scale 1:3, of a power loom for simple plain weaving made by Messrs. Sevill and Woolstenhulme, Oldham, Manchester, England, 1857. This loom gives the most elementary kind of weaving in which weft crosses over and under the warps alternately and was the type used extensively for calico weaving. There is an arrangement for stopping the loom automatically if the shuttle does not reach its box after each pick, and if the weft should break then a weft fork device which is normally balanced to rest on the unbroken thread falls and operates cut off machinery to stop the loom.

Meerschaum Tobacco Pipe with Bowl in form of Human Skull

Smoking

1870-1910

Meerschaum tobacco pipe, bowl in form of human skull, supported by outstretched hand with cuff, forearm as part of the stem, amber mouthpiece (clouded, curved) probably French, possibly English or Austrian, 1870-1910

'Over London-by Rail', engraving, London, England, 1872

Gustave Doré

1872

Wood engraving from 'London: a pilgrimage', by Gustave Dore, 1872. Signed in the block blc: Over London - by Rail. Depicting [East End] tenements, washing in back gardens, chimney pots, railway in distance.

Hughes' printing telegraph, 1860.

Telecommunications

1860

Hughes typewriting telegraph instrument, unknown maker, 1860. Invented about 1855 by David E Hughes (1829/31-1900), US patent numbers, 14,917, 1856; 22,531, 1859 and 22,770, 1859; British patent number 938, 1858.

L&YR locomotive, number 1008

Locomotives and Rolling Stock

1889

Steam tank locomotive, Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway, 2-4-2T No 1008, designed by John Aspinall, built at Horwich in 1889, withdrawn in 1954. 55 tons 19 cwt: weight kg

Strowger automatic telephone, 1901-1910

Telecommunications

1901-1910

Strowger table pattern telephone, manufactured by the Automatic Electric Company, Chicago, United States, 1901-1910

Aveling and Porter steam traction engine

Road Transport

c.1871

Aveling and Porter steam traction engine, by Aveling and Porter Ltd., Rochester, Kent, England, 1870-1872. In 1860 Thomas Aveling invented the traction engine, offering an alternative to horses in agricultural haulage. Eleven years later, approximately when this engine was built, Aveling was improving his design for the self-propelling power plant. This engine was one of the first to be steered by its front wheels (earlier designs were steered by a fifth wheel) and to have gear-driven rear wheels. These features as well as the Aveling patented method of supporting the crankshaft were to become standard on all traction engines. This engine was renovated by Aveling-Barford Ltd in the 1950s before being donated to the Science Museum.

Lumière Cinématographe

Cinematography

c. 1896

35mm Lumiere Cinematographe camera/printer/projector, serial number 254, with brass taking and projection lenses with Lumière thread, crank handle. Claw mechanism designed for Edison perforations, c.1896.

Rolls-Royce 10 hp, two cylinder motor car

Road Transport

1905

10 hp two-cylinder Rolls-Royce motor car, Reg. No. AX148; Chassis No. 20162; produced by Royce Ltd., Cooke Street, Hulme, Manchester, 1905.

Underwood 1 Typewriter, 1897

Printing & Writing

1897

Underwood 1 typewriter, 10" Pica, No.990, 1897. This was the first typewriter with a writing area facing the user and type bars that stay out of sight until a key is struck. These features, shared by all subsequent typewriters, made it easy for the typist to see and if necessary correct the typing as it proceeded. The mechanism was developed in the USA by Franz X. Wagner from about 1892 and taken up, in 1895, by John T. Underwood (1857-1937), a producer of office supplies. The Underwood had a light touch and was also the first machine with a tabulator to facilitate neat columns.

Original vacuum cleaner, from to Royal Naval College

Domestic Appliances

1905

Original vacuum cleaner, supplied to Royal Naval College, Osborne, c.1905

Thompson's Revolver Camera

Photographs

1862

Thompson's Revolver camera, serial number 44, manufactured by A Briois, Paris 1862. Camera body engraved: `Thompson Invtr, A Briois, 4 rue de la Douane, Paris, Brevete SGDG, No.44'

Panhard Levassor 4hp motor car

Road Transport

1894-1895

Panhard Levassor 4hp motor car, France, 1894-5.

Edison Kinetoscope

Cinematography

1894

Main part of Edison Kinetoscope. Invented by Edison's British employee, William Kennedy Laurie Dickson (1860 - 1935), this was the first device to show moving pictures. Painted in white on left side 'Dept II No 584'. Brass plaque on upper front inscribed 'No 509 / Edison Kinetoscope / Manufactured by Edison Mfg Co Orange / NJ USA'.

Steam locomotive, 'Beattie Well Tank'

Locomotives and Rolling Stock

1874

Steam locomotive, London & South Western Railway, 2-4-0WT No 298, 'Beattie Well Tank', designed by W.G. Beattie, built in 1874, withdrawn in 1962. Renumbered 30587 by British Railways.

Edison telephone, 1879

Telecommunications

1879

Wall telephone with Edison chalk receiver, unknown maker, probably United States, 1879.

One of Fleming's first thermionic diode valves, 1889

Electronic Components

1889

Thermionic valve, one of three original examples, by Sir John Ambrose Fleming, London, England, 1904. This valve uses a lamp with a flat concertina wire filament, by Edison & Swan United Electric Company, London, England, 1889.

Short Magazine Mark III Lee Enfield .303 rifle (deactivated)

Public Health & Hygiene

c. 1917

Short Magazine Mark III Lee Enfield bolt action rifle (deactivated), used in First World War, barrell length 731 mm / 28.7 in and calibre 7.65 mm / .303 in, by Birmingham Small Arms Company Limited, United Kingdom, 1917

London & North Western Railway 'Hardwicke'

Locomotives and Rolling Stock

1873

Steam locomotive and tender, London & North Western Railway, 2-4-0 No 790 "Hardwicke", designed by F.W.Webb, built at Crewe in 1873, withdrawn 1932.

Early inhaler for ether anaesthesia

Anaesthesiology

1847-1848

Early inhaler for ether anaesthesia, ether bottle connected by tubing to face mask, by Weiss of London, 1847-1848

Louis Pasteur’s Compound Microscope

Microscopy (Wellcome)

1857-1865

Compound monocular microscope used by Louis Pasteur

Bo-Bo No 1

Locomotives and Rolling Stock

1902

Electric locomotive, North Eastern Railway, Bo-Bo No 1, 3rd rail and overhead pick-up, built by Brush in 1902, withdrawn in 1965.

Anatomical drawing of a human skeleton

John Linnell

1840

Anatomical Drawing of a human skeleton signed: John Linnell. For a Students Ticket. February 25th 1840'. 39 numbered bones with inked key - additional pencil key and mss notes. Pen and brown/black ink hightened with white, on cream/buff paper. 700x430mm.

'VeeDee' Mechanical vibrator, London, England, 1900-1915

Therapeutics

1900-1915

Mechanical ' VeeDee' vibrator, cased by J.E. Garratt, London, English, 1900-1915

South Eastern & Chatham Railway Class D 4-4-0 steam locomotive No 737

Locomotives and Rolling Stock

1901

Steam locomotive and tender, No 737, Class D, 4-4-0, South Eastern & Chatham Railway, designed by H S Wainwright, built at Ashford in 1901, withdrawn in 1956. Fifty Class D 4-4-0s were built. Length over buffers 57'; width 8' 6"; weight: 50 tonnes; area 42.89m square. Driving wheel diameter 6 feet, 8 inches.

Rectal speculum

Clinical Diagnosis

1870-1890

Speculum, rectal, steel and brass, by Collin of Paris, from Charriere Collin and Gentile collection, circa 1880

The Munition Girls

Stanhope Alexander Forbes

1918

Painting, [The Munition Girls] / by Stanhope Alexander Forbes, 1918. Oil on canvas; 40x 50" or 103x127cm, in decorative gilt frame 132x152x8.5cm. Signed and dated bottom left. Female operatives making 4.5-inch shells at the Kilnhurst Steel Works of John Baker and Co. Ltd., Rotherham; steel billets are re-heated in a separate furnace and, still glowing, moved by hand to a steam hydraulic press for forging. Mr. George Baker commissioned this scene "to produce a memento for our women workers", and each of them received a framed copy of it.

Bottle of Alertis Cordial, United States, 1901-1920

Materia Medica & Pharmacology

1901-1920

brown glass bottle containing aletris cordial (sometimes known as 'Mother's cordial'), uterine tonic prepared by Rio Chemical Co. bottle and contents from U.S.A., 1901 to 1920

Mill Engine

Motive Power

1903

The Mill Engine, manufactured by Burnley Ironworks Company, 1903

Toothbrush with horsehair bristles, London, England, 1870-1920

Dentistry

1870-1920

Toothbrush, pattern 33, horsehair with ivoride handle, by Savory and Moore, London, 1870-1920

Steam locomotive, number 673

Locomotives and Rolling Stock

1897

Steam locomotive, Midland Railway, 4-2-2 No 673, Midland Spinner, designed by S.W. Johnson, built at Derby in March 1897, withdrawn in 1923.