Based in a scheduled ancient monument in Rotherhithe, the museum celebrates the lives and work of two of Britain’s greatest engineers – Marc & Isambard Kingdom Brunel.
The Brunel museum is located above the Thames Tunnel – the only project that father and son worked on together. In 1825 they began on the first tunnel to be built with a tunnelling shield and pioneered a method for building tube systems still in use today.
If you have travelled on the railway from London to Wales or Devon & Cornwall, gone through a tunnel, have been on a ship with a propeller or used something that has been manufactured in a factory then the Brunels have touched your life. It is a mark of their genius that what they built or designed is in use even today.
The Thames Tunnel is the oldest tunnel in the London Underground and carries a railway under the River Thames over 180 years after work started on it.
There are viewings every Saturday. Views are subject to overriding demands of the engineers, and varies according to building programme. Meet at the Museum from 12.00 to 16.00. No booking necessary – just turn up and hold your breath! Please note that the chamber will only be fully accessible when the full conversion is finished; until then there is no access for wheelchairs and access for all is compromised. Visitors with any concerns are strongly advised to contact the museum beforehand.
See exhibits on the Thames Tunnel and the building of the Great Eastern, arranged over two floors, and a well stocked souvenir shop with reminders for everyone from children to the most dedicated armchair engineers.
The Robot suggests visiting Brunel’s Underground Cathdral. Half the diameter of the dome of St Paul’s, the grand entrance hall of the Thames Tunnel has been opened up for the first time in a hundred and forty years.
Opening times:
Daily 10:00 to 17:00.
The museum is closed 24th, 25th, 26th December and from 29th December to 2nd January.
Price:
Adults £2
Concession £1
Children under 16 free
By tube:
Canada Water (Jubilee)
Bermondsey
By bus:
47, 188 and 381 pass close to the museum: alight at the Rotherhithe Tunnel roundabout or outside Rotherhithe station (currently closed) on the 381.
Website:
www.brunel-museum.org.uk
Address:
Brunel Museum, Railway Avenue, Rotherhithe, London, SE16 4L (Map)
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