Discovery Museum

The Discovery Museum celebrates the exceptional maritime, scientific, and technological history of the city of Newcastle. It is housed in Blandford House, the former Co-operative Wholesale Society building, which opened in 1899. The museum opened in Exhibition Park in 1934 as the first British science museum outside London and moved to its current location in 1993. In the entrance is the Turbinia, a boat designed by Charles Parsons in 1894 that was the first in the world to be powered by steam turbines. Other highlights include a replica of Joseph Swan’s first lightbulb, several models of George Stephenson’s steam locomotives, ship models from the Swan Hunter shipyards and a prototype of BAE Systems’ Challenger 2 tank. A costume collection contains over 12,000 items and the ‘Play + Invent’ space runs creative workshops for children and families. The museum is operated by the city council and is also home to the Tyne and Wear Archives.