A Trip to The Faraday Museum

An interesting (and free!) little museum tucked away in the West End.

Occupying the basement, it displays original instruments used by Faraday, Davey and other scientific pioneers used to understand light, heat, and electromagnetism among other phenomena.

The narrow, secluded building on Albemarle St holds the incredible history of science and it’s inventors. The old architecture dates back to the days of Charles Dickens who presented in the lecture theatre.

Two hundred seats for two hundred years and every crepe, pink seat holds an incredible view towards the centre.

This compact building is packed with information regarding the understanding of light, magnetism, why the sky is blue, and even eyesight measuring equipment that we still surprisingly use today.

Apace with a phenomenal array of art and sculpture, the collections of the Royal Institution include the apparatus and experimental equipment created by astounding scientists, who also spent their time researching, lecturing, and residing in the same building.

With bookcases filled to the brim with thousands of antique books and rooms that were left with the exact set up from scientists, this museum would leave you awestruck. The display cabinets were well laid out and truly fascinating.

During the construction work required in the mid-1930’s to ensure the structural integrity of the building, a specific laboratory used by Faraday, was carefully dismantled, and then reconstructed precisely as found on the same site.

Not only that but the objects displayed in the laboratory were used by Faraday himself!

Though the outside gave this building a modern look, the inside presented you with carpets of royal red and ancient furniture that you would only presume existed back in the day.

Each room you entered made you feel like you took a step back into the past, the architectural embellishments that beautifully decorated the ceilings and pillars were simple yet elegant, the chandeliers that lit the rooms with a soft, warm, yellow glow set the scene of the era of the 19^th century; the Great Depression.

Overall, it shows the way scientists from the past helped set a foundation for the research that is taking place in this modern time. This museum is crammed with secrets of the past and is recommended to anyone who has a sliver of curiosity within them.