Last trip my feet hurt so badly that I was only able to navigate the 1st floor of this great museum so since I’m picking up where I left off, this was a great start. After dumping my kit and taking a shower at the Boka I tubed to South Kensington. This stop offers the V&A, British History Museum and Science Museum so a great part of London.
One of the first exhibits was on “Material”.
I begin with this model of an oil rig with it’s composite, underwater foundation.
Sort of like an iceberg with so much mass underwater. I can see now why dismantling one can be so expensive. The North Sea has a number on the list for removal.
This dress is made of straw!
And this jacket is made from spun steel. I doubt it is very warm and watch out for lightning!
The have an overpass walkway that reminds me of the Leonard P. Zakim Bridge, named for the civil rights leader, with lots of fine cable supporting it.
The exit on measurements offered John Harrison’s (see last January’s post on Greenwich) 5th generation ocean chronometer.
HRH Elizabeth I was known for many things but one I wasn’t aware of was her decree for consistent units of measure as a “cup” in York might not hold the same amount as a “cup” in The City. 60 of the largest community in GB were all standardized.
This wonderful cabinet contained standard units of measurement from places British merchants frequented. The collected local standards and if shipping product to said local made sure they both matched. This is from the early 1800’s and I was surprised that the US still had obviously different standards in different areas.
The helicopter will give you a sense of size.
They have a real nice aerospace section with a model of Montgolfier’s 1783 balloon. Can you imagine what it was like to be the first person to see the world from the air! To keep this hot air balloon up two men stood on either side of a brazier for balance whilst feeding straw into it.
The Westland Skeeter flew in 1960
The sound of the V1 jet propelled bomb was terrifying but it had no accuracy and did comparativley little damage.
The first jet to fly in Britain was the Gloster E 28 in 1941
And it seems the Rolls Royce Pegasus Aeroengine that drove the Harrier was a life saver for the company.
The Harrier had rotating “Hot/cold” nozzles that provided lift and descent.
This exhibit is simply a wall in the Museum
They had an exhibit on computers. Guinevere picked lottery winning numbers.
And this contraption gave odds on dogs in the race.
There were calculators for insurance companies
In the basement there is an exhibit about the home. Use you zoom. Too much for me to describe.
And the world give thanks to Thomas Crapper!
This TV model projected the image to the flip top.
Warm is nice.
Nice hair, a cuppa, no more firewood to cook and a washing machine. Ain’t science great?
Having spent most of Sunday on my butt with book in hand I decided to walk back to The Boka as it’s only 20 minutes or so. Feet sore but not bad so time to plan Tuesday. Oh, enough photos?
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