Displays and Exhibitions

Take a look at the special exhibitions and displays — and explore our online Galleries

Now You See Me - A Portrait Outdoors by Sarah Angelina Acland

Now You See Me: Hidden Figures in Early Photography

Now You See Me explores some of the hidden figures in early photography whose pioneering achievements have been lost – or overlooked.

Discover the women who printed the first book of photographs, broke the rules to create powerful art, led the way into colour, and used photography to sow the seeds of ground-breaking garden design.

From 21 October 2025
Basement Gallery | Free entry

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About Time: One Passion. A World of Histories

Why did a businessman like Lewis Evans build one of the finest collections of timekeepers from Europe and the Islamic World?

From Persian astrolabes and German sundials to first edition books by Europe’s most influential mathematicians, he collected and researched them all. 

Step into Lewis’ study and discover how to hold time in your hand. 

From 2 March 2024
Entrance Gallery | Free entry

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A Healthy Future for All?

Explore how medical science is using pandemic experiences to improve healthcare for all.

From May 2024 -
Entrance Gallery | Free entry

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Lyra's Worlds

In the Museum that inspired Lyra's alethiometer ...

Just like Lyra with her alethiometer, we search for answers to life's questions in our moving universe. Journey to our Basement and step into the world of Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials. Discover iconic costumes and devices from the BBC series, explore intriguing dials that inspired Philip Pullman to create Lyra's alethiometer, and send your questions out to the cosmos.

From 15 November 2022
Basement | Free entry

Step into Lyra's Worlds

Alice in Typhoidland: the past and present of typhoid

Explore the long history and cutting edge research behind typhoid vaccination and rollout.

From 21 January 2020
Basement Gallery | Free entry

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21300 Righi Oscillator Between Earth & Air

Making Waves: Marconi's Radio Revolution

Guglielmo Marconi had a simple vision — to connect the world through wireless technology.

Much of the technology we use today — mobile phones, wifi, GPS, and Bluetooth — can trace its origins back to Marconi’s ideas and devices.

Explore how Marconi’s hands-on science experiments revolutionised the way the whole world stays connected.

From April 2022
Basement Gallery | Free entry

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Young Producers: 'Prayer'

During 2019, the Young Producers voluntary group at the History of Science Museum worked with the collection of scientific instruments from the Islamic World to create a new display themed around prayer.

From September 2019
Top Gallery | Free entry

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