When I think of Birmingham, I often consider the many times I’ve been screwed over my small bald men, hit by cars and generally been poisoned. I do not, however, think of science museums. I doubt any other Brummie often associates the city with science, or indeed me with the city. In any case, the Think Tank came as a great surprise to me. Let’s delve into it some more, shall we?
Your journey of thought will begin on the second floor, bizarrely. Here is contained the Our World exhibition. There’s a splendid wildlife collection with interesting facts about each frightening stuffed animal. There was also an exhibition called Medicine Matters. His personal highlight was the Brain demonstration part of the exhibition. It showcased the areas of the brains responsible for different emotions when you turned a knob, which is prescient to be sure.
Going up one floor, we enjoyed the Planetarium and watched a short film celebrating the 50th Anniversary of the Moon Landings this year. The Planetarium theatre was vast and the chairs all leaned backwards which gives viewers the best chance of catching the full show. The Future Exhibition outside the Planetarium was quite interesting too. They have a range of robots which swear at you on demand.
The scale model of Birmingham, on the third floor was also a sight to behold. I likened it to the one at Legoland on the other side of town. This one is much more expansive in tis coverage, but notably lacking in its detail by comparison.
Other notable exhibitions in this museum include the We Made It, on the first floor. This is a floor wide exhibition celebrating human craftiness. Of course, my favourite part of it was the fountain pen section. Of course, those of you with a keen interest in fountain pens and their history should head over to the Pen Museum in the Jewellery Quarter.
The ground floor is filled with some of the most impressive exhibits, including the world’s largest working steam engine. My personal highlights were the train in the featured image, the lighthouse to the left of the above picture and the Spitfire suspended from the ceiling.
In all, this was a wonderful day out for my friends and I and I hope you’ll be able to enjoy it in equal measure.