Quote: My girlfriend and I headed to Kensington on the second day of our short-trip to London to enjoy the fantastic array of museums in the district. We had started off with the Natural History Museum in the morning and had left feeling that whilst it was immensely interesting, it was in need of a little modernization and some twenty-first century technology. Therefore, the Science Museum was the perfect place to go as it is full of twenty-first century technology – and some from the twentieth, nineteenth and eighteenth centuries to boot.

The Science Museum extends over five floors. However, the highlights are very much on the ground floor, which is full of some fantastic historical pieces as well as some displays that are just plain cool. Bizarrely, perhaps the most historically significant piece is one of the easiest to overlook. Stephenson's Rocket – the first ever steam locomotive – is hardly bigger than a modern 4X4 and could easily be missed, but it changed the face of the world.

Stephenson's Rocket is a wonderful sight and deeply significant. However, my favourite part of the main display is the space section, which includes two large American rockets from early lunar missions and a very interesting display explaining why the Soviet Union was the leader in the early part of the Space Race, but eventually fell behind the US – it looks at America's advancement and the USSR's reliance on just a few individuals There were also very good displays on life in space and the practicalities of space travel. The exhibit was not massively modern or futuristic, relying on photos and objects rather than modern computers or touch-screens, but it really grabbed the attention.

The remainder of the main hall is also extremely interesting. It boasts a fantastic display of old cars that are fastened to a column with them suspended above the ground. Not only does this give an interesting view of the latter day engineering, but it also has a fantastic artistic effect. There is also a large aircraft suspended from the ceiling. Like the cars this does not offer a huge amount of scientific discovery – it is a rather run of the mill aircraft – but, just as with the cars, the effect is stunning.

During our visit to the Natural History Museum, my girlfriend and I had commented on how many of the exhibits felt rather old and dated. We both thought that some more interactive and modern touches would go a long way. This criticism cannot be levelled at the Science Museum where there are three mezanine levels that are simply full of hi-tech activities. There are scores of games that allow you to see science at work. Many of these are rather simplistic and nothing particularly exciting. However, the section on the environment and climate change was fascinating. And, to boot, it was possible to request an email with the information contained in the displays – mine was in my inbox when I found a wi-fi signal less than an hour later.

The Science Museum was a hi-tech wonder. My one criticism would be that perhaps it had gone too modern and invested too much space and time in video screens rather than traditional displays. However, this would be a mere qualm. It is free to enter and is located next door to the National History Museum.
From journals Musuems and Galleries