Fascinating glimpse of mechanical engineering testing from the past! The museum may only be open once a month, but its space is full of machines that can make physics live for those interested in engineering, and give a fascinating insight into niche Victorian and Edwardian industry for those leaning towards history. Each tour is staffed by knowledgeable volunteers, who are incredibly enthusiastic. If you can, stay for the machine test run - it's a weird and wonderful stretching of metal to breaking point and has incredible tension (excuse the pun). Well worth a couple of hours on a Sunday!

Very quirky museum to the art and science of testing materials to destruction. Run by highly knowledgeable volunteers and the highlight is the massive proving and testing machine produced by victorian James Kirkaldy. Only occasionally open. Well worth doing the tours of the building. The machine is sometimes in operation.

I've been meaning to visit Kirkaldy's for ages but have struggled because it's only open on the first Sunday of the month. I'm so pleased that I finally made it. What a wonderful old place. It smells like oil and metal and wood. The volunteers are all brilliant, so committed to the museum. It's really inspiring to go and see them running the big universal testing machine. Usually they run it at 2pm. It's exciting to watch the massive aparatus pull a rod of cast iron until it snaps like dry spagetti. The rest of the museum is wonderfully underveloped. There's clearly no fat cat salaries being paid here. Definitely worth a visit. Also you should give them money - they really are operating on a shoe string.

Obsoultly brilliant, the history is a significant step of engineering which help build the modern world, and it's there to see, feel and still works. We visited in one of the very special days when the Big Machine was used. What a treat. I can't recommend more highly the Kirkaldy's Teating Works is fantastic.

If you're the kind of person looking at going to a museum about materials testing then you don't need a review to tell you to go. That said, it's a truly amazing space and tour, and a good reminder of how much work goes on behind the scenes of every day life to ensure that a building or bridge doesn't collapse on us.

Inside the 1860s brick building, just behind Tate Modern, are wonderful examples of 19th century engineering used to test the tensile strength of various materials at the factory between 1866 and 1965. The main feature is the original 1865 Leeds-built Universal Testing Machine which is in full working order and lovingly maintained by enthusiastic and knowledgeable volunteers. 2020 is the bicentenary of David Kirkaldy's birth in Dundee. Kirkaldy was an extraordinary man even by Victorian standards; he deserves to be better known and his contribution to Victorian engineering more appreciated. The museum volunteers are on hand on the last Sunday each month to explain the history of the Kirkaldys, and practical historical applications of the machines.

Facts.

Really interesting little museum telling the story of metal material testing and how Kirkaldy built the first independent material testing facility. Guided tour is highly recommended, the guide explains the different aspects of material testing as well as how the machines works in a superb way. Easy to understand even if one is not an engineer.

Fabulous place explaining why material testing is important <e.g. safe bridges> and how it is done. Really interesting even for non engineers. Amazing insight into Victorian London too. We took 12 year old boys and they loved it too, especially the hands on parts.

This a great, unknown museum. The equipment is fantastic as is the story of providing a reliable materials testing facility. The volunteers are great, friendly and knowledgeable. Well worth a visit either on an open day or as a group for a visit.

Hat off to all volunteers who are wonderful, passive, highly knowledgeable and friendly - they delivered the presentation in a way which is accessible to all. There are lots of testing machines in Victorian and Edwardian era, some of them are 100+ year old, this reminded me of the days at university studying the construction techniques and materials testing - the principles are very similar but just supplied by hydraulic not electricity.

Great couple of hours the volunteers are very accommodating and have great knowledge best is when they use the BIG machine to break the steel bar fully recommended

First rate. We had a couple of hours of entertainment here. Very enjoyable for engineering folks, but also accessible for those otherwise inclined. Would recommend!

If you're interested in Engineering it's a fun diversion. Hats off to the volunteers who were all charming and give their time. I enjoyed it, but I'm a Nerd.

Independent Museum covering the story of materials testing. Includes a massive 19thC testing machine and on occasion they'll break something for visitors!

I worked for many years in my imprinting shop, with english machines, so is very interesting visit museum. And i made one too in italy but very small.

Fasicinating museum. It tells a story that usually is unseen: the one on the resistance and testing of materials. Critical to any constructive project. It also tells the story of the types of workshops that operated in Southbank few decades ago.

Make sure you vist. This is an awesome opportunity to see a Victorian testing machine - 160 feet long testing up to 1 million psi - in action. Check opening times. It's run by volunteers. Hats off to this stupendous preservation effort.

Fantastic museum, good old Victorian engineering at its finest :)

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What a fascinating place full of interesting and powerful machines! I work around the corner and happened to see the name of the building when I was passing by... googled it and popped along. We had no real idea what to expect but we were greeted by some of the friendliest, most passionate volunteers of any museum. We learned a lot about David Kirkaldy and what an underrated genius he was, how materials testing works and has developed over the past 150 years and we saw the huge machine break a piece of solid iron in two, stretching it by inches. The tour lasted approx 2.5 hours and there wasn't a single minute where we weren't entertained or listening intently. Great for teenagers studying physics or anyone with any interest in science and how the world works. Thank you very much to everyone who made our visit such an interesting one.