The Science Museum was founded in 1857 with objects shown on the Great Exhibition held in Crystal Palace. Today the museum is world renowned for its historic collections, galleries and inspirational exhibitions.

The Science Museum holds a collection of over 300,000 items, including including some very famous items such as the oldest surviving steam locomotive, Puffing Billy, and Stephenson's Rocket. It also contains hundreds of interactive exhibits. A recent addition is the IMAX 3D Cinema showing science and nature documentaries, some of them in 3-D, and the Welcome Wing which focuses on digital technology.

The Science Museum's medical collections have a global scope and is one of the best in the world. Strengths include Clinical Medicine, Bioscience and Public Health.

The Science Museum has a dedicated library, and until the 1960s it was Britain's National Library for Science, Medicine and Technology. It holds runs of periodicals, early books and manuscripts, and is used by scholars world-wide.

The Science Museum is located on Exhibition Road, South Kensington, adjacent to the Natural History Museum and used to be connected to it by a public corridor. The museum is open every day from 10:00 to 18:00 and entry is free, but charges apply for the IMAX 3D Cinema, simulators and some special exhibitions.