In 1924 the History of Science Museum (HSM) was created in a much older building that had been created in 1683 as the first purpose-built public museum building in the world. In direct response to the horrors of the First World War, the HSM was intended as a place of safety, preserving scientific objects from the threat of destruction. Robert Gunther and Lewis Evans together were the driving force behind the new Museum. Evans donated his collection of historic scientific instruments to the university. Gunther campaigned for them to be displayed in the building then known as the Old Ashmolean.
Lewis Evans’ collection provided the nucleus around which the Museum grew. Subsequent acquisitions have come especially from Oxford colleges and departments as well as major donors. The Museum now holds a globally unrivalled collection of early astronomical and mathematical instruments from Europe and the Islamic world – amongst many other treasures. Complementing the wide range of objects are manuscripts, early printed works and early photographs.
Much lauded for its innovative learning and engagement programmes, the HSM is very conscious that in a rapidly changing world it needs to continuously transform, while staying firmly rooted in its unique heritage. To mark its centenary, the HSM has thus launched Vision 2024: an ambitious programme of activity to refurbish its public spaces, reinterpret its world-class collections and re-engage new and existing audiences with extraordinary stories about how science shapes our world. Vision 2024 is underpinned by a new focus on inspiring curiosity, revealing beauty and highlighting ingenuity. The HSM’s mission is to explore the connections between people, science, art, and belief, and to give voice(s) to its unique collections in an increasingly fragmented world, by focussing on what unites us rather than what divides us
