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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

Packet of 10 'Gold Flake' cigarettes

Smoking

1920-1950

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

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.

Ped-O-Jet mass inoculation gun

Public Health & Hygiene

1970-1975

Multidose Jet Injection Apparatus, known as 'PED-O-JET', hydraulically powered, by Scientific Equipment Manufacturing Corp, New York, U.S.A., 1970-1975

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.

Queen Victoria's Saloon

Locomotives and Rolling Stock

1869

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

Byzantine portable universal altitude sundial with geared calendrical device

Time Measurement

401-600

Brass components from Byzantine portable universal altitude sundial with geared calendrical device, unsigned, Middle East, 401-600

Polaroid Land camera Model 95

Photographic Technology

1948-1953

Polaroid Land Model 95 made by Polaroid in the United States, 1948-1953. Folding camera for self processing film packs 3 1/4 x 4 1/4 inches. Lens with rotating plate with apertures marked 1-8. T/I shutter. Lever focusing. Folding optical frame finder with front ball sight on spring stalk. Accessory show. Flash synchronized, bayonet fitting. No.0570942.

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.

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

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.

two-valve radio receiver made on the ECME machine, 1947-1948

Radio Communication

1947-1948

2 - valve radio receiver made on the ECME machine, made by Sargrove Electronics Ltd, Walton-on-Thames, Surrey, England, 1947-1948

Arkwright's water frame, 1775.

Textiles Machinery

1775

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

Packet of ten 'Abdulla' cigarettes

Smoking

1920-1950

Packet of 10 cigarettes by Abdulla & Co. Ltd., 173 New Bond Street, London, England, 1920-1950

Vaginal speculum for applying leeches

Clinical Diagnosis

1801-1830

Gilbert vaginal speculum, metal, French, early 19th century

Shelvador electric compression domestic refrigerator, c. 1934-1935.

Domestic Appliances

1930-1940

Shelvador electric compression domestic refrigerator, an example of the first model to be equipped with internal shelves inside the door, streamlined design, by Crosley, U.S.A., 1930-1940

'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.

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.

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).

Cat-o-nine tails, United Kingdom, 1700-1850

Wellcome (general)

1700-1850

Cat o'nine tails, whip-cord with wooden handle, reputedly British Navy, 1700-1850

Sargrove sprayed circuit radio receiver production prototype, 1936-1948

Electronic Components

1936-1948

Sargrove sprayed circuit radio receiver (production prototype), made by John Sargrove, Walton-on-Thames, Surrey, England, 1936-1948.

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.

Diesel Locomotive Class 47 'Prince William'

Locomotives and Rolling Stock

1965

Diesel Locomotive Class 47/4 No 47798 'Prince William'. Co-co 4 foot 8 1/2 inch gauge, built at Crewe by British Rail Crewe and Brush Ltd in 1965. Named 'Firefly' from August 1985 to March 1995; renamed 'Prince Willliam' in May 1995.

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"

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 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.

Ivory dildo, possibly French, 1701-1800

Therapeutics

1701-1800

Ivory dildo, in the form of an erect penis, complete with contrivance for simulating ejaculation, possibly French, 1701-1800

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

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.

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.

'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.

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

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).

'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.

Steam locomotive, number 245

Locomotives and Rolling Stock

1897

Steam locomotive, London & South Western Railway, M7 class 0-4-4T No 245, designed by Dugald Drummond, built at Nine Elms in 1897, withdrawn in 1962.

Water pipe, for smoking opium or tobacco, China, 1801-1830

Smoking

1801-1830

Water pipe, for smoking opium or tobacco, made of stainless white metal alloy, Chinese, 1801-1830

Miniature terrestrial globe by J. Manning. Late 19

Astronomy

1850-1860

Miniature terrestrial globe by J. Manning. Late 19th century

Bosch 509e mobile telephone, 1999-2003

Telecommunications

1999-2003

Bosch 509e mobile phone, sold for exclusive use on the Orange network, manufactured by Bosch, Denmark, 1999-2003

Liquid-filled plastic lens television magnifier, 1935-1965

Radio Communication

1935-1965

'Standlens' liquid-filled plastic lens for magnifying a television picture, mounted on adjustable wooden stand, probably made by Lumex, probably British, 1935-1965

'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

Two bifurcated needles used for smallpox vaccination

Public Health & Hygiene

1968

2 Bifurcated needles for use in smallpox vaccination

Islamic astrolabe

Astronomy

1666-1667

Islamic planispheric astrolabe in brass, diameter 25 cm, with rete, two plates, alidade, alidade, pin and horse, made by Jamal al-Din ibn Muquin, at Lahore, Pakistan, in 1077 AH (= 1666-7 CE). Inside of mater shows map locating Mecca with qibla of 17 locations. Zoomorphic characters on rete.

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.

Philips 'Savvy' mobile telephone, 1999-2003

Telecommunications

1999-2003

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

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.

'Passalong Test', psychological test, London, England, 1960-1990

Psychology, Psychiatry & Anthropometry

1960-1990

Passalong Test for measuring concrete ability, four tests (some incomplete), each originally consisting of 4 wooden trays and approx 14 wooden blocks, painted in red or blue, with 8 design cards; distributed by the National Foundation for Educational Research; used by the Institute of Education, University of Liverpool, c.1960-1990.

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.

Sony 'Trinitron' colour television, 1969-1970

Radio Communication

1969-1970

Sony 'Trinitron' colour television set, model type KV-1320UB, manufactured by Sony, Japan, 1969-1970. Serial No. 505704

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.