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National Science and Media Museum image

National Science and Media Museum

Tourist attraction Museum National museum

Modern museum of TV, radio, film and photography, with IMAX cinema, themed exhibitions and cafe-bar. People often mention great, museum, visit, interesting, interactive, kids, games, time, book, media,


Address

Pictureville, Bradford BD1 1NQ, United Kingdom

Website

www.scienceandmediamuseum.org.uk

Contact

+44 330 058 0058

Rating on Google Maps

4.50 (5.5K reviews)

Open on Google Maps

Working Hours

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Featured Reviews


Frequently mentioned in reviews: great (21) museum (20) visit (16) interesting (15) interactive (14) kids (12) games (12) time (10) book (9) media (9)
Reviews are sorted by relevance, prioritizing the most helpful and insightful feedback at the top for easier reference.
  • 4/5 O O. 2 years ago on Google
    Pleasantly surprised! Loads of interactive activities for the kids, although a number were broken when we visited. Interesting for all ages with everything from old computers, to 1980's arcade games, to fascinating histories of spying, to old kids TV programmes, to an IMAX (3D) cinema. Also a lovely cafe to recharge your batteries!
    6 people found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Agnes B. 2 years ago on Google
    Amazing place for a family day out! 6 floors of interesting galleries end exhibitions. To top it off an IMAX 3D experience. We watched "walking with dinosaurs" and it was awesome! Entrance to the museum is free but you need to book a time slots. And IMAX you have to book tickets for before hand as well and pay for them. There's a car park just behind the museum building and we paid £3 for 3 hours.
    6 people found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 M S. 1 year ago on Google
    An amazing place to visit for either couples, families or friends wanting to know the history about Bradford and media from around the world. It’s free and easy to book online. Parking will need to be found a few minutes away near the uni but you should be able to get something for free. There is paid parking nearby. We went on the weekend and it was fairly quiet and plenty of staff presence The premises are immaculate, all items are displayed perfectly and there is lots of different options for everyone. Highly recommend to visit. A great place and really pleased it is in Bradford. There are people who travel miles for this museum and it is on our doorstep! Theres a great 80s gaming facility and it has street fighter pac man etc and it is £2 a session. Staff are friendly, donations are recommended but not mandatory. A fun, informative activity to do! Very nostalgic for those born before 2000’s!
    5 people found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 K. P. 2 years ago on Google
    This is a gigantic museum with a healthy variety of exhibits, most notably the ones about scientific principles. Examples of these are mirrors with different lighting, images that change when looked at from different angles and a screen that displays your body based on temperature. The moving images section is very interesting too, breaking down how pictures were used to create visual art with some nice showcases. On a similar note, there is an area dedicated to television, providing key information and also showing some classic characters! The bottom floor has content about computing and is appropriately made of glass; the displays deliver info such as the origins of keyboards and social media.
    5 people found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Mike N. 2 years ago on Google • 744 reviews
    It's Free, and to be honest I'd quite happily pay to visit. Well presented and great content. The exhibits really take you down memory lane and there is some good "hand on" exhibits. Both me and the kid could easily spend pretty much all day here. Yes you have to pay for parking but to be fair it's not that much and it's just behind the museum. Really is well worth the visit.
    1 person found this review helpful 👍

  • 3/5 Jade R. 1 year ago on Google • 55 reviews
    Was extremely over crowded on our last visit. Its quite silly now how it is because although its free u need to make a donation which is fine however u need tickets for different sections. The old style computer games area tickets had all gone and that's £2 per person to enter in there. Not as fun as it used to be. Better for older children rather than under 10s. Some of the sections were closed off.
    3 people found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Haley D. 2 years ago on Google
    Fantastic place to take children of any age. Free entry, can donate if you’d like. Lots of fun things to do for all the family. Parking is separate but only £2 for 2 hours behind the actual museum itself.
    3 people found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Dimples S (. 11 months ago on Google • 568 reviews
    Awesome! Fun for all ages. The history of photography, media, the Internet... so much to learn. The kids had fun doing th3 ciphers. The space exhibition was cool. It was interesting to see and feel the materials used for space pants. The interactive section was a nice touch. 6 (5) floors of fun. The science show was fun. It was about coding. Jerry brought Ada Lovelace, Alan Turing and Mary Jackson, Dorothy Vaughan, and Katherine Johnson (The Hidden Figures) to life. Everyone was engaged. The rocket test was the perfect ending. Fun day out. All indoors so the bad weather didn't spoil the fun. Definitely worth a visit. Don't forget to book tickets in advance online.

  • 5/5 Derek 1 year ago on Google • 519 reviews
    We came on a Saturday afternoon after booking tickets online that morning. You are asked to make a voluntary donation and it is £2 per person for the games room which I cannot recommend highly enough. The museum is on 5 floors and we spent 4 hours in total exploring it. I think we spent about an hour in the games room which is full of old arcade games such as space invaders and pacman plus some old console games. There is a whole floor dedicated to photography with cameras going back 130 years. We thoroughly enjoyed the day and as a free museum it is great.

  • 5/5 Georgia L. 1 year ago on Google • 8 reviews
    A nice day out for the family, lots to see. The dinosaur 3D experience is great for children. There is an interactive floor for children to learn too including a small mirror maze.
    1 person found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 James J. 2 years ago on Google
    Free to get in, just book a ticket from their website. Plenty of interesting stuff to look at and interact with. Unfortunately some exhibits are closed due to Covid precautions.
    1 person found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Ally W. 1 year ago on Google
    Retro games area was great nostalgia for £2, 30mins. Lots of history to check and Imax. Cinema screen. Shame not all the exhibitions were open. Interactive zone was enjoyable. Free or give a donation.
    1 person found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Assiya B. 2 years ago on Google
    Very nice and beautiful visit. I like it beautifully designed and lot of variety infermotino.
    1 person found this review helpful 👍

  • 3/5 Ashley R. 1 year ago on Google
    Had been planning to go back since it has been years since I went. Free entry. Cafe available with decent food including good vegan options. Gift shop on site. Good amenities generally. We stayed about 30mins only since they are renovating much of the building so wasn't a great deal to see this time around. The kids enjoyed the Wonderlab interactive gallery, it was interesting and got them involved - this was the best part of the trip this time. We will return once rework is complete and I intend to review again following.
    1 person found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 The A. 2 years ago on Google
    My 2nd visit first was many years ago. On the day 3 of the 6 floors were closed as preparing for new exhibits. This info is on the website and you have to book online (FREE) before coming. We arrived at 11am and left at 2:15pm. We watched the rescue dogs imax 3D movie (extra cost see website) this was one of 3, 45 minute movies during the day and was a really moving story of rescue dogs around the world. We also booked a 30min slot (£2) for the retro games arcade. And caught a live talk/show. Would defo visit again.
    1 person found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Safyana Faran H. 2 years ago on Google
    Great exhibitions, especially the new secret one on spies.
    1 person found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Dennis Dela C. 1 year ago on Google
    Had a great family day out. Loads of fun activities with youngsters. Very interesting and educational highly recommended to anyone😃
    1 person found this review helpful 👍

  • 4/5 ぶ千恵子 1 year ago on Google • 69 reviews
    I love this place, I could spend days there. What was disappointing this time was, there were no new exhibits and the person signing people in was very insistent on visiting the Kodak exhibit. The wonderlab is always fun for those interested in basic science. The video game exhibit was closed.

  • 4/5 Tiffany H. 1 year ago on Google • 39 reviews
    Not a bad museum at all. There are quite a few floors to look around but doesn't take long to get around at all. The museum could do with maybe having a few more exhibitions but that may be just my opinion. When we went, the museum was over crowded and extremely noisy due to a school trip. There was only 1 teacher and a very large group of children that weren't supervised and you couldn't hear yourself think and you couldn't go on most of the interactive stuff as they wouldn't let you have a go and I didn't want to be rude and tell them. When you did get to look at things, you felt rushed because the children were constantly near you watching you. We even had the teacher interfere when we couldn't work something out! Quite rude in my opinion. But the place was nice and had very interesting pieces of history about the Internet, cameras, animation, and science. Would recommend but doesn't take long to look around so it's good for about a 2 hour trip.

  • 5/5 J F. 10 months ago on Google
    Superb day out. Parked nearby for a reasonable cost (Sharpe Street Car Park). Free entry. Really loved the exhibitions all though some were closed and the museum will be closed soon for 13 months! The cafe was nice and staff showed care in all they did. Staff were all pleasant and friendly. The Light Show was also enjoyed by the all the children. This was in the Wonderlab which was my favourite space. The game area is worth it for £2 each but don't expect anything less than 15 years old (minimum) which is fair. There's also an indoor picnic space if you are on a budget and want to bring your own food. We spent 5 or so hours there without seeing an Imax show but did have 2 young children in tow.

  • 5/5 Free K. 1 month ago on Google • 7 reviews New
    What a great day out for the family + many more local attractions. The best food from anywhere in the world, cheapest in uk. Helpful and friendly locals 😄👍🏼

  • 5/5 Richard H. 1 year ago on Google
    Really enjoyed this place.... amazing exhibits really take you back to your youth... recommended. Gift shop isn't overpriced either!

  • 4/5 Donna W. 1 year ago on Google
    The media museum is great, though be warned that you now have to book tickets before you go in. If you turn up on the door like we did then you have to fill in your details and give a donation to enter. Once inside the galleries are great, however quite a few of them were closed on the day we visited which was a shame. There was a Solar system talk on the day we visited, using the giant sphere, which was well worth a listen. It was really interesting and informative and the woman giving the talk was clearly well knowledgeable about this. There was also storytime sessions on for kids and a science experiment, though I didn't see either of them, but they sounded good. The interactive gallery was great for children and adults and the hall of mirrors is fab. The gaming area has now changed and has to be pre-booked, with a staff member stood guarding the area. It only costs £2 but it's a shame it's come to this. The penny stretching machine also wasn't working, a random thing, but I do collect these from different places! Still a great place but I feel like it can't be 5 star due to many closed galleries and the random pre-booking systems.

  • 4/5 Bülent A. 11 months ago on Google
    Nice experimental place. Some parts of the museum was under reconstruction I couldn't see all but still worth to visit.

  • 4/5 Steven F. 1 year ago on Google
    Would have rated it 3.5. Lower rating than I usually give as about 50% of the galleries were closed. Photography bit interesting and some fun stuff in the interactive part.

  • 5/5 Colin Durrans (. 1 year ago on Google
    We didn't drop into the special exhibitions or cinema but still spent 3 hours here today There's some cracking interactive displays, Wonderland was AWESOME! I really liked playing with the high speed camera to capture a water drop splash and getting the water splashing with resonance but there was so much more. Over in the animation section there's another great interactive display for making a small 12 frame film. LOADS of nostalgia 😍

  • 5/5 Huzaifah B. 1 year ago on Google
    Brilliant day out with the kids. Loved every minute of the national science and media museum. Lots to see, talk about and take in. A lot of 'blast from the past moments'. Really enjoyed seeing the first ever cameras and how they evolved. They had the wonder lab that wasn't too big but had some really awesome stuff. The photo of the water droplet is one of the experiments to try and make the droplet of water make a crown. We managed to do it but missed the pic of it (disappointed child 😆) There was the thermo lab (no explanation, needed there but was brilliant fun) the glowing room was great fun too. Props from all the 'good old' programmes we used to watch as kids, did make us laugh and cry and the same time! 😜 They had the retro games room. This was amazing. We paid an extra £2pp (nothing too expensive) for over an hour of fun on the retro games. Arcade machines, Nintendo and Sega as well as PAC man and many other electronic games to have great fun with. In conclusion..... Fantastic day out.

  • 4/5 Rich H. 1 year ago on Google
    Really great museum. Great interactive exhibits, loads to do. We spent about 5 hours here. Really enjoyed it. The only reason it's not 5 stars.... The cafe offering was awful. Virtually nothing that was on the menu was actually available. I'd not hesitate to come back. But I'd bring a picnic. (And use the area they've set aside for this, which is superb!!).

  • 4/5 Daniel D. 1 year ago on Google
    Quite enjoyed our visit, it was interesting and had a lot to offer, we donated and paid for the game tickets which was okay but overall was a very small range of retro games or machines that worked, so if this is why you're going here there's better places, it was okay but nothing more. The rest of the museum however is fantastic and quite thought provoking in some aspects, some of the interactive pieces did not work but this is not unusual for a museum with limited funds such as this, if you're in Bradford and want something to kill some time this is well worth the visit, super cheap and entertaining, friendly staff, easy access with local parking and some disabled parking which was not full on the day we visited on a Wednesday so definitely adequate availability given its location. 4 stars overall, would be 5 if more things worked, some of the lighting on some of the displays was also not working, simple fix though, great for kids it'll keep them busy and the interactive displays are exceptional!!!!

  • 4/5 James V. 1 year ago on Google
    It was a fun way to spend an afternoon, it's free entry but donations are welcomed

  • 4/5 Beth N. 2 years ago on Google
    Fun quick experience and a lovely day out. Enthralling if you are interested in the combination and media. Great for kids and adults alike, and very interactive. One thing I must say is that I felt a bit old seeing the Nintendo Wii in the museum. Nevertheless a educational experience about the roots of both media, the Internet and the way sound and lighting works.

  • 5/5 Sharon H. 2 years ago on Google
    Absolutely brilliant day out...Full of interesting facts.....we visited the Imax cinema to watch Antarctica, that was fantastic 👏

  • 5/5 Lillian L. 2 years ago on Google
    Well worth a visit.... Very interesting and educational with a nice little cafe. We saw the 3d film about Antarctica and loved it.

  • 5/5 daniel i. 2 years ago on Google
    I had a very good experience at the science museum. I visited during the Top secret tour, and it was interesting to go through the artifacts from the 1st and 2nd World war. It's an interesting visit if you're interested in seeing the evolution of data too.

  • 5/5 win t. 2 years ago on Google
    Very informative visit. The only interesting thing in Bradford is National Science and Media Museum. Multi storeys building n each storey holding many stories in side it. Specially I love photography part. Media was fantastic too. IMAX was wondering experience. Just love it. Even it’s in city centre so not far if u wanna visit.

  • 3/5 Sharon J. 2 years ago on Google
    Not many hands on things to do due to Covid, some exhibits out of order. OK if you live locally, need to book a time slot online.

  • 5/5 Nirav D. 2 years ago on Google
    Nice place and great for kids. Free entry though requires to book online and take your tickets. Loved watching Old programmes and TV adds. Holds many stuff on media history. There is a gaming lounge for 2£ for 30 mins. IMAX inside with different 3d movies.

  • 5/5 Leah S. 2 years ago on Google
    We had a great time with all the interactive displays and then the retro gaming session as well. The lights and sounds did make me and my sister feel unwell after a couple of hours. But my sensory son loved exploring the sounds. There is a cafe, the food choice is very limited, but the kids loved picking the contents of their lunch deal. The small shop was really good to. We learned alot and enjoyed ourselves 😁

  • 5/5 Vengeful Guard of Navy R. 2 years ago on Google
    A fun day out! This is a great time out for anyone interested in media, or just looking for a fun time out with the family. It’s spread out over multiple floors and within walking distance from many amenities. Not only is it jam-packed with activities and things to see, it is open and completely free to the public. (You can donate to help them out if you so choose). I would definitely recommend it. 😊

  • 5/5 Jahanara P. 2 years ago on Google
    Really nice place for a day out. You can do some activities there as well. Entry is free, but there is a game lounge if you want to use you need to pay 2 pounds for 30 minutes. You can go for a date or take you'd kids.


Call +44 330 058 0058 Open on Google Maps

Amenities


  • Accessibility
    • ✓️ Wheelchair accessible entrance
    • ✓️ Wheelchair accessible restroom
    • ✓️ Wheelchair accessible parking lot

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