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Boasting a collection of more than 300,000 objects, visitors can for the first time get a glimpse inside the Science Museum Group’s £65m collections centre, with the Hawking Building now open for public tours
Tom Anstey | Planet Attractions | 15 Oct 2024
The Hawking Building has for the first time been opened to public tours Credit: SMG
The Science Museum Group (SMG) is celebrating the opening of its new purpose-built collections centre to the public, with the new £65m (US$84.8m, €77.8m) facility in Swindon, UK, housing around 80% of the group’s collections from across its five sites.
Named the Hawking Building after the late theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking, the 27,000sq m (291,000sq ft) facility features artefacts from The Science Museum in London, The Science and Industry Museum in Manchester, The National Railway Museum in York, The Locomotion Museum in County Durham, and The National Science and Media Museum in Bradford.
The museum’s collection of 300,000 plus objects has been grouped by collection type, with the items stored on around 30km (19m) of shelving within the building.
At the heart of the centre, a collection of 200 freestanding exhibits are placed in parking bays designed by Sam Jacobs studio, with the largest being a five-metre-tall (16.5ft) Glasgow tramcar from 1901. Other large items stored include a Douglas DC-3 aircraft, a Ford Edsel motor car and a Boeing 247 aircraft.
In addition to its massive collection, the museum also features laboratories, research areas and photography studios.
The Hawking Building is now open to school trips and researcher visits - the first time the public has been allowed behind the scenes at the facility. Around half of the collection has been digitised, with a barcode system meaning both staff and members of the public will also be able to easily find objects online.
“We are so grateful to the Science Museum Group for taking such good care of the Stephen Hawking collection and ensuring that his work and legacy as a scientist, disability advocate and technology pioneer will be accessible to visitors to their museums nationwide,” said Tim Hawking, son of Stephen.
“His collection might not have survived if not for this building and the work that goes on inside. No other museum in the world could have done a better job to safeguard and ensure access to his and other important archive material for future generations.”
Tours will need to be booked in advance, with slots now open for 2025, with an expert guide leading the behind-the-scenes spectacle.
STEM
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