Museum of the History of Science, Oxford

Museum of the History of Science, Oxford (must see)

The Museum of the History of Science is located in the Old Ashmolian Building on Broad Street and it is the oldest surviving building in the world constructed for the purpose of being a museum. Admission is free of charge.

It was built in 1683 to house Elias Ashmole’s formidable collection of over 18000 objects covering every aspect of the history of science. The collection expanded in 1924 when artefacts from the estate of Lewis Evans were added to the museum.

The collections are housed in three different galleries on three floors: the Entrance Gallery on the ground floor is where you will find the reception, the museum shop, four corner exhibitions and temporary exhibitions. The museum’s reference library has a comprehensive collection of scientific books.

In the Basement Gallery the displays deal with chemistry, natural philosophy and medical equipment. There are optical instruments including cameras, telescopes and microscopes, and early radio equipment by Marconi. You will also find a blackboard that was used by Albert Einstein when he visited the University.

The Top Gallery is full of mathematical instruments: quadrants, sundials and early instruments used for calculating navigation, surveying and astronomy and the most important astrolabe collection in the world with over 170 items.

Want to visit this sight? Check out these Self-Guided Walking Tours in Oxford. Alternatively, you can download the mobile app "GPSmyCity: Walks in 1K+ Cities" from Apple App Store or Google Play Store. The app turns your mobile device to a personal tour guide and it works offline, so no data plan is needed when traveling abroad.

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Museum of the History of Science on Map

Sight Name: Museum of the History of Science
Sight Location: Oxford, England (See walking tours in Oxford)
Sight Type: Museum/Gallery

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