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Stephenson's Rocket

Locomotives and Rolling Stock

1829

Steam locomotive, remains of Robert Stephenson's 0-2-2 locomotive 'Rocket', designed by Robert Stephenson and made by Robert Stephenson & Co., Newcastle upon Tyne, England, 1829

Crick and Watson's DNA molecular model

Biochemistry

1953

Reconstruction of the double helix model of DNA, using some of the original metal plates, by Francis Crick and James Watson, England, 1953

Sokol space suit

Space Technology

1991

British astronaut, Helen Sharman's Sokol spacesuit made by Zvezda. Sharman wore this rescue suit during the space flight on board the SOYUZ-TM-12 and MIR spacecraft in May 1991. Space suit model number KV-2 No. 167.

Packet of 10 'Gold Flake' cigarettes

Smoking

1920-1950

Packet of 10 'Gold Flake' cigarettes by W D & HO Wills, England, 1920-1950

London & North Eastern Railway steam locomotive 'Mallard'

Locomotives and Rolling Stock

1938

Steam locomotive and tender, No 4468 ‘Mallard’, Class A4 Pacific, 4-6-2, designed by Nigel Gresley for LNER, built at Doncaster in 1938; length over buffers: 71' 3/8"; width: 9'; weight: 102 tons; 19 cwt; (total weight 165 tonnes 7 cwt); area 50.3m square. Driving wheel diameter 6 feet, 8 inches.

SR 'Ellerman Lines' 4-6-2 Merchant Navy Class sectioned steam locomotive, No 35029

Locomotives and Rolling Stock

1949

Steam locomotive and tender (sectioned), No 35029 ‘Ellerman Lines’, Merchant Navy Class, 4-6-2, built for Southern Railway, designed by O V Bulleid at Eastleigh, 1949, rebuilt to current form in Sept. 1959. Length over buffers: 72'; width 8' 7"; height 12' 9"; weight: 97 ton, 18 cwt; driving wheel diameter 6’ 2”.

Napier's Bones, c.1690.

Mathematics

c. 1690

Set of Napier's rods in boxwood case John Napier, the inventor of logarithms, also invented this aid to calculation known as 'Napier's Bones' in 1617. The 'bones' consist of a set of rectangular rods, each marked with a counting number at the top, and the multiples of that number down their lengths. When aligned against the row of multiples as shown, any multiple of the top number can be read off from right to left by adding the digits in each parallelogram in the appropriate row. Multiplication is thus reduced to addition.

The Demon Detective camera

Photographic Technology

1889

O'Reilly's Patent No 10823. Conical metal camera for 2 1/4 x 2 1/4 inch plates, uncemented achromatic lenses c.F:1 1/2 inch fixed aperture and focus. Flap and shutter before lens work by elastic band. The American Camera Company, c.1890.

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

Computing & Data Processing

1871

Analytical engine constructed by the late Chas. Babbage, F.R.S., (this was not put together when received and there are still many pieces, moulds etc. received in 1878, on exhibition in the gallery) Charles Babbage's calculating engines are among the most celebrated icons in the prehistory of computing. His Difference Engine No. 1 was the first successful automatic calculator and remains one of the finest examples of precision engineering of the time. The portion shown was assembled in 1832 by Babbage's engineer, Joseph Clement. It consists of about 2000 parts and represents one-seventh of the complete engine. This 'finished portion of the unfinished engine' was demonstrated to some acclaim by Babbage, and functions impeccably to this day. The engine was never completed and most of the 12 000 parts manufactured were later melted for scrap.

Jugum penises, United Kingdom, 1880-1920

Therapeutics

1880-1920

Jugum penis, an anti-masturbatory device also known as a spermatorrhoea ring, steel, nickel-plated, probably British, 1880-1920

Arkwright's water frame, 1775.

Textiles Machinery

1775

Improved spinning machine (water frame), by Sir Richard Arkwright, England, 1775.

'Jason I', de Havilland DH.60G Gipsy Moth

Aeronautics

1928

De Havilland Gipsy moth Aeroplane 'Jason I', by De Havilland Aircraft Company, Brent, Greater London, United Kingdom, 1928. Used on historic flight of Miss Amy Johnson to Australia, May 1930, DH.60G, G-AAAH

Queen Victoria's Saloon

Locomotives and Rolling Stock

1869

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

'Build a Better Burger' game

Nutrition & Food Technology

1984-1986

Game, 'Build a Better Burger' game for 2-4 players ages 5 and over, marked 'All the action of a real fast food restaurant!', players compete to be the first to assemble a meal according to the menu card they select, made by Action Games and Toys Ltd, Henley-on-Thames, Oxfordshire, under license from Lakeside Games (a division of Leisure Dynamic Inc, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA), 1984-1986.

LMS(R) steam locomotive with tender 'Duchess of Hamilton' 4-6-2 Coronation class, No 6229, 1938

Locomotives and Rolling Stock

1938

Steam locomotive and tender, No 46229 'Duchess of Hamilton', 8P Coronation class, 4-6-2, London Midland & Scottish Railway, designed by William Stanier, built at Crewe in 1938. Length over buffers: 73' 10 1/4"; width 9' 3"; height 12' 9'; weight: 105 tons; 5 cwt; driving wheel diameter 6 feet, 9 inches (total weight according to H C Casserley 161 tonnes 12 cwt).

Pair of prosthetic limbs, for Thalidomide affected 9-year old child

Orthopaedics

1971

Pair of prosthetic limbs made for a child, Tracey Baynam, aged 9 years, affected by thalidomide, made by J E Hanger, United Kingdom, May 1971

'Puffing Billy' locomotive

Locomotives and Rolling Stock

1813-1814

Locomotive 'Puffing Billy'. Driving wheel diameter 3 feet 3 inches; cylinders 9 inches x 36 inches; working pressure 50lb; weight approximately 8 tons, exclusive of tender.

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".

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.

Rotative steam engine by Boulton and Watt, 1788.

Motive Power

1788

Boulton and Watt Rotative Beam Engine - the 'Lap' engine. This is the oldest essentially unaltered rotative engine in the world. Built by James Watt in 1788, it incorporates all of his most important steam-engine improvements. The engine was used at Matthew Boulton’s Soho Manufactory in Birmingham, where it drove 43 metal polishing (or ‘lapping’) machines for 70 years.

Shutt End Colliery Railway steam locomotive 'Agenoria'

Locomotives and Rolling Stock

1829

Steam locomotive ‘Agenoria’ 0-4-0, built by Foster Rastrick & Co, Stourbridge for the Earl of Dudley's Shutt End Colliery Railway at Kingswinford, Staffordshire in 1829; withdrawn c1864, length over buffers, 13' 3"; width 6' 1"; height 24"; weight 11 tons with tender; area 7.19m square. Driving wheel diameter 4 feet, 0 3/4 inches; weigh 11 tons with tender

Apollo 11, Lunar Module 'Eagle', 1969.

Space Technology

1963-1969

Replica Apollo 11 lunar excursion module

Railway Collecting Dog: "Laddie"

Miscellanea & Curiosities

1948

Railway Collecting Dog: "Laddie", stuffed Airedale Terrier in glass showcase with collecting box for London & South Western Railway Servants' Orphanage, ex Wimbledon Station.

Philips TCD308 mobile telephone, 1997-2001

Telecommunications

1997-2001

Philips Cellnet 'Diga' TCD308 mobile phone, made by Philips, France, 1997. CN: VYP09902E04442

Philips 'Savvy' mobile telephone, 1999-2003

Telecommunications

1999-2003

Philips "Savvy" (TCD128) mobile phone, manufactured by Philips, France, 1999-2003

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).

West Japan Railways Shinkansen 'Bullet Train', 1976

Locomotives and Rolling Stock

1976

Power car, Shinkansen Leading Car 22-141, 'bullet train', built by West Japan Railways, 1976, withdrawn from service in October 2000. Length 82'; width 11' 8"; height 14' 6 1/2".

Alcock and Brown's Vickers Vimy biplane

Aeronautics

1919

Alcock and Brown's Vickers Vimy biplane

Soyuz TMA-19M descent module, S.P. Korolev Rocket and Space Public Corporation “Energia”

Space Technology

2015

Soyuz TMA-19M descent module, S.P. Korolev Rocket and Space Public Corporation “Energia”, Russia, 2015

'Szondi-Test', psychological test, Switzerland, 1947

Psychology, Psychiatry & Anthropometry

1947

Szondi-Test, Experimentelle triebdiagnostik, Testband. Box set containing cards with photographic portraits, includes instructions. From effects of psychiatrist Ann Dally.

Bush TV22 Television Receiver, 1945-1955

Radio Communication

1945-1955

Bush TV22 9 inch television receiver, made by Bush Radio Limited, England, 1945-1955. With band III convertor, 1957

English Electric Company diesel electric locomotive 'Deltic' Co-Co 3300HP, 1955

Locomotives and Rolling Stock

1955

Diesel-electric locomotive, prototype English Electric 3300HP "Deltic", 1955, BR number 'DP1"

High Speed Train Power Car 43002

Locomotives and Rolling Stock

1976

Diesel Electric Locomotive number 43002 High Speed Train Power Car, named "Sir Kenneth Grange, built BREL Crewe 1976. Bo-Bo wheel arrangement

Album of photographs, mainly of cyclists, cycling clubs and bicycles

Album of photographs, mainly of cyclists, cycling clubs and bicycles

Steam locomotive, entitled Evening Star

Locomotives and Rolling Stock

1960

Steam locomotive and tender, British Railways, 9F class 2-10-0 No 92220 "Evening Star", designed by R.A.Riddles, built at Swindon in 1960, withdrawn in 1965.

Packet of 20 Death cigarettes, London, England, 1999

Smoking

1999

Packet of 20 Death cigarettes, labelled: 'Manufacturer's advice: Cigarettes are addictive and debilitating. If you don't smoke, don't start. Death is a responsible way to market a legally available consumer product which kills people when used exactly as intended. Death cigarettes: For an honest smoke', made in the EC under the authority of The Enlightened Tobacco Company Plc, London, c.1999.

Coalbrookdale by Night

Philippe-Jacques de Loutherbourg

1801

Coalbrookdale by Night by Philippe Jacques de Loutherbourg, 1801. Oil on canvas in gilt frame. Signed and dated bottom right. Exhibited as 'A View of Colebrook Dale by night' at the Royal Academy London in 1801. It shows the Bedlam furnaces at Coalbrookdale in Shropshire, with flames and smoke billowing from the centre of the picture. The picturesque gorge landscape to either side is lit by moonlight, and figures hurry in the foreground to transport raw materials and iron pigs.

Apollo 10 command module, call sign 'Charlie Brown'

Space Technology

1969

Apollo 10 command module, call sign 'Charlie Brown', by North American Rockwell Corporation, Downey, Los Angeles county, California, United States, American, 1969. Apollo 10, carrying astronauts Thomas Stafford, John Young and Eugene Cernan, was launched in May 1969 on a lunar orbital mission as the dress rehearsal for the actual Apollo 11 landing. Stafford and Cernan descended in the Lunar Module to within 14 kilometres of the surface of the Moon, the closest approach until Neil Armstrong and Edwin ‘Buzz’ Aldrin in Apollo 11 landed on the surface two months later.

Packet of 'De Reszke Minors' cigarettes

Smoking

1920-1950

Packet of 'De Reszke' minors cigarettes by J Millhoff & Co. Ltd., Picadilly, London, 1920-1950

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'

Difference Engine No 1

Computing & Data Processing

c. 1832

Portion of Babbage's calculating machine (Difference Engine No.1)

Glass copy negative of Roundhay Garden Scene

Cinematography

1930s (1888)

Single large glass copy negative of Louis Le Prince's footage, Roundhay Garden Scene, shot in October 1888. This copy negative was made by the Science Museum in the 1930s from the original paper negatives created by Le Prince.

Triumph Palm Beach, gent's bicycle, 23" frame, 196

Road Transport

1964

Triumph Palm Beach, gent's bicycle, 23" frame, 1964.

NeXT cube computer, 1990

Temporary Exhibitions

1990

"NeXTcube," a NeXT computer, including screen, keyboard and mouse, made by NeXT, Redwood CIty, California, United States, 1990. Used by Tim Berners-Lee to design the World Wide Web, at CERN, 1990.

Chinese Government Railways Steam Locomotive 4-8-4 KF Class No 7

Locomotives and Rolling Stock

1935

Steam locomotive KF class number 7, 4-8-4, Chinese Government Railways, designed by Colonel Kenneth Cantlie, built by Vulcan Foundry in 1935 (as number 607), withdrawn in 1981. Length over buffers: 93' 2.5" (or 73' 2.5"); width 10' 2"; height 15' 6"; weight 194,870 kgs.

Packet of Craven 'A' cigarettes

Smoking

1920-1950

Packet of Craven 'A' cigarettes by Carreras Ltd, Arcadia Works, London, England, 1920-1950

Steam locomotive 'Green Arrow'

Locomotives and Rolling Stock

1936

Steam locomotive and tender, London & North Eastern Railway, V2 class 2-6-2 No 4771 "Green Arrow", designed by Nigel Gresley, built at Doncaster in 1936, withdrawn in 1962.

Tracy, a transgenic sheep

Biotechnology

1990-1997

Tracy, a transgenic ewe. Genetically modified to produce a human protein (alpha antitrypsin) in her milk, 1990-97.

Avro Shackleton A.E.W. 2

Aeronautics

1954

Avro Shackleton A.E.W.2 reconnaissance aircraft, Military Service No. WR 960, made by A. V. Roe & Co. Ltd, Woodford, 1954.

British Railways Presflo cement wagon

Locomotives and Rolling Stock

1961

Railway wagon, British Railways, 22T Presflo wagon, No B873368, built Gloucester Railway Carriage & Wagon Company, 1961, ex Bletchley. [Built to diagram number BR Wagon 272, batch number 3361, construction span 1955-1963, number built 1820].