Discovery Museum

The Discovery Museum
The Discovery Museum
 Discovery Museum shown within Tyne and Wear
OS grid reference  NZ240639
Established 1934
Location Newcastle upon Tyne, England
Coordinates 54°58′08″N 1°37′30″W / 54.969°N 1.625°W / 54.969; -1.625Coordinates: 54°58′08″N 1°37′30″W / 54.969°N 1.625°W / 54.969; -1.625
Public transit access Newcastle Central Station

The Discovery Museum is a science museum and local history museum situated in Blandford Square in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. It displays many exhibits of local history, including the ship, Turbinia. It is one of the biggest free museums in North East England, and in 2006 was winner of the North East's Best Family Experience award at the North East England Tourism Awards. It is managed by Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums.[1]

History

The Discovery Museum started life in 1934 as the Municipal Museum of Science and Industry.[2] The collections were housed in a temporary pavilion built for the 1929 North East Coast Exhibition in Exhibition Park, Newcastle.[3]

The collections and displays grew for another forty years, until the temporary pavilion could no longer meet the museum's needs. In 1978, the museum was re-located to Blandford House, the former Co-operative Wholesale Society Headquarters for the Northern Region.[4] Designed by Oliver, Leeson and Wood, this magnificent 1899 building had been the distribution centre for over 100 Co-op stores across the region, and contained extensive warehouse space and offices.[5]

The museum was re-launched as Discovery Museum in 1993 at which time "Turbina" was moved from Exhibition Park.[2] In 2004 the £13 million redevelopment of the museum was complete[2] and the following year the venue attracted 450,000 visitors.[6]

Exhibits

The museum includes Turbinia, the 34 metre long ship built by Charles Algernon Parsons to test the advantages of using the steam turbine to power ships.[7] It houses the regimental museum for the Light Dragoons and the Northumberland Hussars, exploring the human side of 200 years of life in the army. It is a "hands-on" museum designed to interest both children and adults.[8] It also features examples of Joseph Swan's early lightbulbs which were invented on Tyneside.[9]

References

  1. ↑ "About | Discovery Museum". Twmuseums.org.uk. Retrieved 2018-02-03.
  2. 1 2 3 Henderson, Tony (2014-07-17). "Newcastle Discovery Museum marks 80th anniversary with birthday bash". The Journal. Retrieved 2018-02-03.
  3. ↑ "Exhibition Park". Newcastle City Council. Archived from the original on January 27, 2012. Retrieved 7 March 2012.
  4. ↑ "Two Cities, One River - Newcastle And Gateshead Heritage Trail". Culture24. 2015-07-20. Retrieved 2018-02-03.
  5. ↑ Pevsner, Nikolaus; Richmond, Ian Archibald; Grundy, John; Ryder, Peter; McCombie, Grace; Welfare, Humphrey (1992). Northumberland. Yale University Press. p. 447. ISBN 978-0300096385.
  6. ↑ "Happy birthday Discovery Museum: Pictures from Newcastle's home of history past". Culture24. Retrieved 2018-02-03.
  7. ↑ "Discovery Museum - Nexus Tyne and Wear". Nexus.org.uk. Retrieved 2018-02-03.
  8. ↑ "Charge! The story of England's Northern Cavalry". Light Dragoons. Retrieved 2 June 2018.
  9. ↑ "Collections | Discovery Museum". Twmuseums.org.uk. Retrieved 2018-02-03.
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