History of Science Museum

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History of Science Museum Discover Islamic instruments from the Middle Ages, Einstein's blackboard and the first cultures of the life-saving antibiotic Penicillin under one roof.
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This unrivalled collection of early scientific instruments is housed in the world's oldest public purpose-built museum building, the Old Ashmolean. See Islamic instruments from the Middle Ages, Einstein's blackboard and the first cultures of the life-saving antibiotic Penicillin under one roof. We offer public lectures, family-friendly events and gallery tours that highlight our collections. For those unable to visit Oxford, online versions of exhibitions, stand-alone online resources and a web version of the collections database are available at www.hsm.ox.ac.uk

Our colleague Emily Whittingham, an intern at the Museum and a PhD student in the history of microscopy, wrote a blog br...
15/10/2026

Our colleague Emily Whittingham, an intern at the Museum and a PhD student in the history of microscopy, wrote a blog breaking down the history of the microscope into ten bite-sized pieces. We'll be sharing them here over the next ten weeks! 🔬

To kick off this series, we’re highlighting the compound microscope, dating from c.1670-80. Compound microscopes like this object use two or more lenses to enlarge specimens.

Early microscopes like this one also held important decorative value. Notice the gold patterned leather covering the surface of this compound microscope? It emulates the binding of an expensive book, making this instrument a prized possession.

Christopher C**k, the inventor of this compound microscope, also made instruments for Robert Hooke, the Royal Society’s laboratory assistant.

Stay tuned for next week’s object to see what Hooke observed when he looked down his compound microscope!

You can read more about Emily’s fascinating research here: https://hsm.ox.ac.uk/a-history-of-the-microscope-in-ten-objects?utm_source=instagram&utm_medium=social

Every day we depend on standard measures: the land we map, the goods we trade, the work we count, the time we keep.But h...
13/10/2026

Every day we depend on standard measures: the land we map, the goods we trade, the work we count, the time we keep.

But have you ever wondered how a measure become a standard? And who gets to decide?

Over the next few weeks, we'll be sharing some stories by community researchers exploring India-UK cultures of measurement in the Colonial Standards project. They selected everyday objects to show standards not as neutral or technical, but as often-overlooked histories of materials, craftsmanship, power and resistance.

This week, we're reminiscing on The Measure of Things, an evening event held by the Museum last month. We had a great time welcoming visitors and researchers from the Colonial Standards project for a wonderful evening of hands-on engagement and conversation about these objects and their histories.

To learn more about some of the discussions we had, stop by to visit the new Colonial Standards display at the Museum! ⚖️

Photography Credit: Oxford Atelier (Maciek)

On World Mental Health Day tomorrow, step into the History of Science Museum for a few quiet hours of reflection and lea...
09/10/2026

On World Mental Health Day tomorrow, step into the History of Science Museum for a few quiet hours of reflection and learning 💫

Take your time and have a mindful stroll through our galleries. We’re open Tuesday-Sunday, 10-5pm!

Just two weeks away! Join the History of Science Museum for an evening with the stars. ⭐On Thursday 22 October, author a...
08/10/2026

Just two weeks away! Join the History of Science Museum for an evening with the stars. ⭐

On Thursday 22 October, author and archivist Lee Macdonald draws on his book, The Royal Observatory, Greenwich, 1881-1939, which was named one of Nature’s Top 5 Science Books of 2026, to explain how the Observatory advanced astronomical research during this time of global upheaval and scientific endeavour.

📍 History of Science Museum, Oxford
📅 Thursday 22 October | 6.00–7.00pm
🏛️ Booking essential: https://ow.ly/af5c50ZUPEp
🎟️ Tickets from £5 | Students £0

Every day we depend on standard measures: the land we map, the goods we trade, the work we count, the time we keep.But h...
07/10/2026

Every day we depend on standard measures: the land we map, the goods we trade, the work we count, the time we keep.

But have you ever wondered how a measure become a standard? And who gets to decide?

Over the next few weeks, we'll be sharing some stories behind objects chosen by community researchers exploring India-UK cultures of measurement in the Colonial Standards project. They selected everyday objects to show standards not as neutral or technical, but as often-overlooked histories of materials, craftsmanship, power and resistance.

Waywisers like this were used in British India to map in miles. But, as Dr Shankar Nair explores in his blog, wheels designed for English lanes and smooth bowling greens did not always prove a match for Indian terrain.

Such challenges led to the development of local measurements in India, including the anthropomorphic ungoolum (the distance between the thumb joint to the tip of the nail) and the syncretic Tamil measure nauzhivazhy (the distance that could be covered by foot in 24 English minutes).

Read on to explore how English and Indian measures were used in British India: https://ow.ly/1htb50ZVqcf

Or drop by to visit these objects in the new Colonial Standards display at the Museum! ⚙️

As Albert Einstein once said, “It is the supreme art of the teacher to awaken joy in creative expression and knowledge.”...
05/10/2026

As Albert Einstein once said, “It is the supreme art of the teacher to awaken joy in creative expression and knowledge.” ✏️

In celebration of World Teachers’ Day, the History of Science Museum would like to highlight Helen Pooley and Christopher Parkin, the two wonderful educators behind our learning initiatives! Here at the Museum, we offer a great number of interactive workshops, Study Days, and object-handling sessions for all ages.

Families: don’t miss our upcoming half-term event in celebration of Black History Month! More details coming soon 👀

Welcome back to this Mariner’s Astrolabe, c. 1600, which has just returned to the History of Science Museum! ✨ Look clos...
02/10/2026

Welcome back to this Mariner’s Astrolabe, c. 1600, which has just returned to the History of Science Museum! ✨

Look closely and you can see engraving along the astrolabe’s circumference, revealing concentric lines encircling the object and a letter “A” at the lower edge. This instrument was found by Donald Courie in 1903 at Vera Cruz harbour, Gulf of Mexico.

Although unsigned and undated, researchers have inferred from the location of its find and the object’s diameter of approximately 8 Spanish inches that it is of Spanish origin.

Want to see some astrolabes for yourself? Pay us a visit and explore our collections in-person or delve into our online collection. 🌊

Thanks for visiting! 🔭
01/10/2026

Thanks for visiting! 🔭

Caroline the Cat usually needs help finding her friends... but they’ve all come out in celebration of World Animal Day o...
01/10/2026

Caroline the Cat usually needs help finding her friends... but they’ve all come out in celebration of World Animal Day on 4 October! 🐱✨

We’re highlighting some of the marvellous creatures that you can spot around the History of Science Museum. Our Spot the Creatures trail is available in the Entrance Gallery and is a great way for families to discover the life within our exhibitions.

This wondrous geared astrolabe has just returned to our galleries at the History of Science Museum. ☀️ Made in Isfahan (...
29/09/2026

This wondrous geared astrolabe has just returned to our galleries at the History of Science Museum. ☀️

Made in Isfahan (modern-day Iran) in the early 1200s, this remarkable object is the world's oldest surviving complete geared mechanism, partaking in a tradition that stretches back to the ancient Greek Antikythera mechanism and beyond.

Hidden within the astrolabe, intricate gearing tracks the movements and phases of the sun and moon and potential eclipses. The roundels along the rim present twelve zodiac signs in silver inlay. This high calibre of metalworking appears most commonly in decorative objects produced for the wealthy and elite in medieval Iran.

Check out our collection of astrolabes like this on display at the History of Science Museum!

Slide 1: Front of the geared astrolabe.
Slide 2: Composite image of the back of the astrolabe with the left half of the picture showing an overlay of the gearing hidden inside the instrument.
Slide 3: The reverse of the geared astrolabe.
Slide 4: The gearing hidden inside the astrolabe.

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