Visiting UK

[GarryParticipant @garry]

HI Folks,

 

My wife and I are planning to visit the UK later this month.  Any suggestions on some good engineering museums to drag (sorry bring) the wife along to. ..

 

seriousily I would hate to go all the way to the UK from Australia and not see some of the engineering and engines…  

 

Some museums with working engines would be good…

 

Garry

[GarryParticipant @garry]

Visiting UK

[Frank DolmanParticipant @frankdolman72357]

   Where are you and Mrs Garry going to be staying?  The Tank Museum at Bovingdon,

the Science Museum in London and the National Railway Museum in York are each a

day apart.  Add the Great Western at Didcot and you have at least a week’s travelling on

your hands.  We need some guidance before we can advise.  You have some serious

planning to do!              

                                                     Regards

[Jim KParticipant @jimk]

Garry,

If going to Glasgow scotland why not consider the transport museum.

http://www.glasgowmuseums.com/venue/index.cfm?venueid=7

or the burrel collection athough that is not engines i think.

Jim K

[NilochParticipant @niloch]

Lokk out for the 2009 edition of Steam Heritage Guide

http://www.teepublishing.co.uk

I guess opening times let alone steaming days might be difficult but for awe-inspiring steam power, try:

http://www.kemptonsteam.org

Edited By Niloch on 06/09/2009 18:15:53

[GarryParticipant @garry]

Thank you folks for the prompt replies.

 

I will look through the suggested web sites.

 

we are planning to hire a car to travel north leaving from London to no fixed location. 

we are planning to spend 10 to 12  days traveling in a meandering fashion but all of the UK is open to visiting.

 

10 days is not a terribly long time but we wish to put as much in as possible.

 

 

Garry G

[AndyfParticipant @andyf]

Manchester Museum of Science and Industry is worth a visit if you are in the area. Large steam hall with many working static engines and (non-working) locomotives. A couple of locos in steam outdoors, offering a short (400m or so) ride to the  world’s oldest railway station, which is also part of the Museum.

 

http://www.mosi.org.uk/

 

And it’s free

 

Andy

[Paul BoscottParticipant @paulboscott25817]

If you ar going north the York is a good stop

 

for her

 

http://www.yorkminster.org/

 

 

for you

 

http://www.nrm.org.uk/home/home.asp

[John Stevenson 1Participant @johnstevenson1]

  Iron bridge gorge at Telford, birthplace of the industrial revolution, that says it all.

 

http://www.ironbridge.org.uk/our_attractions/

 

John S.

[WALLACEParticipant @wallace]

Two be honest  – I wouldn’t rate The Science Museum in London – seems to me they’ve taken away a lot of the good bits and put expenive tea bars in there place !

 

Would seriously recomend the pumping engines at Kew. They’re in steam at weekends  and are very impresive !

 

http://www.kbsm.org/

 

If  you’re heading up the East side of the country, try 

 

http://www.lincsaviation.co.uk/ – every other day or so (check the website for times), the pull their Lancaster bomber out of its hanger and fire up the 4 Merlins  – the noise makes your hair stand on end all over !! It’s near to Lincoln which is worth a visit for the cathedral although I think Ely’s better – you can go up to onto the roof and see how the it was built 650 years ago .  .

 

W. 

 

 

 

[GauteParticipant @gaute]

When going to London, this is the one to visit. http://www.sciencemuseum.org.uk/

May be you should let you vife off at Oxford street and aggrea to meet again after 4-5 hr. I think she will enjoy the “street” and are convinsed that this is the place for you. You may want to go back the next day. Me and my technical interested boy enjoy it very much and my vife can spend hr in OX street, that I hate and we are all happy. Good on your maith

[WindyParticipant @windy30762]

I see York has been mentioned apart from the NRM there is the aircraft museum at Elvington on an airfield where numerous World and National speed records have been broken.

[John HaineParticipant @johnhaine32865]

If you are interested in clocks and instruments, two not to be missed are the old Royal Observatory at Greenwich (take in the rest of the National Maritime Museum as well) where they have Harrison’s clocks;

 

http://www.nmm.ac.uk/

 

and the Whipple Museum in Cambridge

 

http://www.hps.cam.ac.uk/whipple/

 

(the latter possibly not worth a trip to Cambridge on its own but there’s lots of other stuff there including the Corpus Clock

 

http://www.chronophage.co.uk/

 

Depending on the breadth of your engineering interests there is Bletchley Park

 

http://www.bletchleypark.org.uk/

 

 

How long are you in the UK….?

 

 

John

 

[Eric CoxParticipant @ericcox50497]

This museum in Derbyshire is well worth a visit

 

http://www.tramway.co.uk/smx/cms/home/

[Eric CoxParticipant @ericcox50497]

There is also

 

http://www.papplewickpumpingstation.co.uk/

[Eric CoxParticipant @ericcox50497]

For accommodation try the following, ideal if you’re touring.

http://www.travelodge.co.uk

http://www.ichotelsgroup.com/h/d/ex/925/en/home

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