| The Science Museum at Wroughton | |
|---|---|
The unimposing entrance to the very large site. |
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| Established | 1979 |
| Location | Wroughton, near Swindon, Wiltshire, England |
| Type | Science museum |
| Director | Ian Blatchford |
| Website | www.sciencemuseum.org.uk |
| National Museum of Science and Industry | |
| National Media Museum · National Railway Museum (Shildon Locomotion Museum) · Science Museum (Dana Centre, Science Museum Swindon) | |
The Science Museum at Wroughton, near Swindon, England, is the large-object store of the Science Museum (London). It is part of the National Museum of Science and Industry.[1]
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The Science Museum took ownership of the 545 acre former RAF Wroughton airfield in 1979, to be used as a storage facility for the largest objects of the Science Museum. A collection of approximately 26,000 objects are currently kept in six of the hangars, from the first hovercraft to MRI scanners, and computers to (de-activated) nuclear missiles. The store is particularly notable for its extensive collection of vintage aircraft, road transport vehicles, agricultural machinery and industrial collections.
The object collections at Wroughton are not normally open to the public, however "research" visits to see specific objects in store can be booked by application.
The largest object at Wroughton is thought to be the Wood Press, part of the last working printing press in Fleet Street. The press was acquired in 2001 and weighs 140 tonnes. It is the size of two small houses.[2]
The site is also home to the Science Museum Library and Archives, which are open to the public by appointment.