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Science Museum Visit

Guided Visit to the Science Museum, London

23 March 2006

Tour details .......... Science Museum website
Date Thursday 23 March 2006
Destination The Science Museum, South Kensington
Bus Departure Time 07:30 Didcot Station
Pickup Points with approximate times 07:45 Abingdon, Marcham Road Bus Stop (adjacent to Tesco).

We understand that you can park all day at Fairacres Trading Estate. If you are thinking of using Tesco's car park you should check the small print to see whether this is allowed.

08:00 Oxford Thornhill Park & Ride.

Leaving the Headington roundabout towards London on the A40, the Park and Ride is on the right near A C Nielsens.
Our coach will not be able to wait for late arrivers so you must be prompt.

10:15 (approx) Bus arrives at Science Museum.

If you choose to make your own travel arrangements, please arrive at the Science Museum in time for the 10:30 prompt start. The Science Museum website gives directions.

Rendezvous

If you are travelling independently, join the rest of the party no later than 10:30am inside the main entrance on the Ground floor. For those travelling by public transport, take the underground to South Kensington. The museum is just a short walk away along Exhibition Road or via a pedestrian tunnel directly. It is well sign-posted.

Committee members, who will try to remember to be wearing their BCS badges, will be looking out for you.

Tour timing 10:30 prompt start
Finish between 12:00 and 12:30.
Lunch 12:30 (approx)

Make your own arrangements. There are several cafeterias in the Science Museum itself and plenty of pubs and restaurants in the area.

travel to Blythe House

We make our own way by bus or tube to Blythe House, in West Kensington, 23 Blythe Road, London, W14 0QX.

Blythe House is a 20 minute bus ride from the Science Museum.

Nearest tubes are:

  • Kensington Olympia, District, 5mins; please note that Olympia trains run less frequently than other District line trains.
  • West Kensington, District, 10mins walk down North End Road.
  • Barons Court, District and Piccadilly, 10mins walk down Edith Road.

Buses: 9, 10, 27 & 28 pass along Hammersmith Road. The 49 bus stops in Holland Road.

Blythe House Tours

Because of the limited space, we divide into two groups for the afternoon tour.

14:30 - 15:15 First group
15:30 - 16:15 Second group
Bus Return Time 16:30 Depart Blythe House
19:15 arr Didcot Station (estimated)

after dropping off at the morning pickup points.

Cost

This trip is being subsidised from Branch funds, but we do need to ask for a small contribution towards the costs of transport and the guided tours.

At £10 for BCS a member, £20 for a joint ticket for a member and guest, and £15 for a non-member, this represents exceptional value for a very interesting visit.

As we shall be committed to the expenditure, we have to ask you to pay in advance.

Booking and cancellation policy

The size of the group is limited: places will be allocated in order of receipt of payment, and in the case of dead heats, BCS members will have priority. If the party size becomes too large we will operate a waiting list.
Payment must be received at the latest by 13th March. After that date, refunds for cancellations are not possible unless you can arrange a substitute.


Visit Details

The Science Museum Tour

A guided tour of the Science Museum given by Geoff Marshall, a London Registered Blue Badge Guide and a professional scientist, finishing in the gallery which features Charles Babbage (1.5 to 2 hours)

The tour will include items from the following:

  • Science in the 18th century- the George III exhibition,
  • The industrial revolution (causes)
  • Power (Newcomen, Watt, Trevithick)
  • Space Gallery
  • Making of the Modern World (Railways, Internal Combustion Engine, etc.
  • Flight, (Wright Brothers, Alcock and Brown, Amy Johnson)
  • Computing (Charles Babbage)

Blythe House

Ingenious Tour: From valves to chips: the rise of British computing with Tilly Blyth and assisted by the Assistant Curator, Rob Skitmore

This is a rare chance to see some of the hundreds of thousands of objects hidden away in the Science Museum store at Blythe House, West Kensington.

Britain has always played an important role in the development of computing technology. This tour will take you from an era when computers occupied whole rooms and Britain was at the forefront of computer research, to a new generation of programmers created by personal computers such as the BBC Micro and the Sinclair.

The Science Museum galleries are stuffed with over 15,000 objects. However there are more than 170,000 hidden away in Blythe House, many of which have never been on public display. The massive labyrinth of storerooms is home to everything from beautifully crafted telescopes and early examples of operating tables, to Stone Age tools and freeze-dried genetically modified animals. This Ingenious Tour gives us the rare opportunity to see objects from these world renowned collections.

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