About
Thinktank, Birmingham Science Museum is a major science and discovery center housed within the magnificent Millennium Point building in Birmingham's Eastside. Opening in 2001 as part of Birmingham's millennium celebrations, Thinktank has established itself as one of the UK's leading science museums, offering an exceptional blend of historic collections and cutting-edge interactive exhibits.
The museum showcases Birmingham's extraordinary scientific and industrial heritage while exploring contemporary science and future innovations.
The collections span over 200 years of scientific achievement, with particular strength in transport, medicine, engineering, and natural sciences. The Smethwick Engine, built in 1779, is the world's oldest working steam engine and represents Birmingham's pioneering role in the Industrial Revolution.
The museum houses extensive collections from Birmingham's Museum and Art Gallery, including natural history specimens, medical instruments, and industrial artifacts that tell the story of scientific progress from the city that powered industrial Britain.
Interactive science galleries allow visitors of all ages to explore scientific principles through hands-on experiments, from simple machines to complex physics phenomena. The Planetarium provides one of the UK's most advanced digital projection systems, offering immersive journeys through space and time that bring astronomy to life.
Medical science exhibits trace the development of healthcare from early surgical instruments to modern diagnostic technology, showcasing Birmingham's contributions to medical innovation.
Transport galleries feature historic vehicles including the Boulton steam carriage from 1788, one of the world's first self-propelled vehicles, alongside classic cars, motorcycles, and aircraft that demonstrate technological evolution. Natural history displays present diverse specimens from around the world, encouraging understanding of biodiversity and environmental science.
The Science Garden offers outdoor interactive exhibits exploring physics, mathematics, and natural phenomena through play and experimentation.
Thinktank serves over 180,000 visitors annually, providing educational programs, workshops, demonstrations, and special exhibitions that inspire scientific curiosity and STEM engagement. The museum continues Birmingham's tradition of innovation and learning, making science accessible, exciting, and relevant to contemporary audiences while preserving and presenting important scientific heritage collections.
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Highlights
The Smethwick Engine
The world's oldest working steam engine, built by Boulton & Watt in 1779 for the Birmingham Canal Company, represents the dawn of the Industrial Revolution. This magnificent beam engine, with its 24-foot diameter flywheel, pumped water to maintain canal levels and operated continuously for over 100 years.
Regular steam-up demonstrations bring this engineering masterpiece to life, showing the technology that powered industrial Britain.
The engine's preservation at Thinktank ensures this internationally significant artifact continues to inspire understanding of the engineering genius that made Birmingham the workshop of the world and demonstrates the principles of steam power that transformed human civilization.
Planetarium
One of the UK's most advanced digital planetariums features a 360-degree immersive dome theater with cutting-edge projection technology that transports visitors on spectacular journeys through space and time. Multiple daily shows explore astronomy, space exploration, and cosmic phenomena, from tours of the solar system to voyages across billions of light-years to distant galaxies.
The planetarium presents both educational content about real astronomy and breathtaking visualizations of the universe, making complex space science accessible and awe-inspiring.
Family-friendly shows introduce children to astronomy while specialist presentations delve into current space missions, black holes, exoplanets, and the mysteries of the cosmos, providing one of the most immersive science experiences in the Midlands.
Science Garden
The outdoor Science Garden offers hands-on exploration of physics, mathematics, and natural phenomena through large-scale interactive exhibits that encourage play-based learning. Visitors experiment with sound waves, explore geometric patterns, investigate forces and motion, and discover scientific principles through physical activity and experimentation.
Water features demonstrate fluid dynamics, musical instruments explore acoustics, and mechanical exhibits reveal the physics of everyday life.
The garden provides accessible science learning in a relaxed outdoor environment where families can spend quality time together while discovering how science explains the world around us. Weather-dependent but open year-round when possible, the Science Garden extends Thinktank's mission beyond indoor spaces.
Wildlife Gallery
The Wildlife Gallery houses over 3,000 natural history specimens from Birmingham Museum's extensive collections, including mammals, birds, insects, and marine life from around the world. Spectacular displays include African elephants, big cats, rare birds, and exotic creatures that showcase Earth's biodiversity.
Interactive exhibits explore animal adaptation, evolution, habitats, and conservation challenges facing wildlife today.
Microscopes reveal hidden details of insects and plants, while touch tables allow hands-on exploration of natural materials. The gallery connects visitors with the natural world, fostering appreciation for biodiversity and understanding of ecological relationships while preserving important scientific collections assembled over 150 years of natural history study in Birmingham.
Collections
Futures Gallery - Explore cutting-edge science and future innovations
Things! - Interactive gallery for children aged 0-8 with science play spaces
Science Garden - Outdoor interactive science exhibits (weather permitting)
Current Exhibitions
No current exhibitions. Please check the museum website for updates.