Abstract
DEMOLITION of the old portion of the Science museum, London, known as the Southern Galleries, has now commenced. This building, which had recently become extremely dilapidated, was erected as a temporary structure for the International Exhibition of 1862, and continued to be used thereafter by the Science Museum for exhibition purposes until the beginning of the War in 1939. For many years these galleries have been scheduled for destruction, and owing to their susceptibility to fire and bomb damage were a source of considerable anxiety during the War. The main portion of this old building is now being demolished to make room for a new centre block for the Science Museum, on the roof of which a planetarium is to be erected. It is anticipated that the ground floor and basement of this new building will be available in time to accommodate the science and technology portion of the Festival of Britain Exhibition in 1951. After this, work on the building will be continued and the building when completed will form the centre block of the Science Museum, with four floors of exhibition galleries. Arrangements for the occupation of this portion of the Science Museum are well under way, and it is anticipated that long before this additional accommodation becomes available, detailed arrangements for the display of specially appropriate and attractive exhibits will have been completed.
Article PDF
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Science Museum London. Nature 163, 630–631 (1949). https://doi.org/10.1038/163630e0
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/163630e0