A new gallery telling the story of "200 years of innovation in
communication technology" is to open at London's Science
Museum in the autumn of 2014.
The Making Modern Communications gallery has been made
possible by a £6 million award from the Heritage Lottery Fund. In a
press release, the Science Museum gives a hint at what visitors will see,
including "around 1,000 objects of historical importance". A
six-metre-high tuning coil from Rugby Radio
Station, which played a crucial role in Britain's Cold War
defences, is among these.
The museum says: "The gallery brings to life moments when the
world changed dramatically through the invention of technologies
such as the laying of the first transatlantic telegraph cable; the creation of the first
digital electronic computer; the development of mobile
communications and the advent of the World Wide Web."
It adds that stories from around the world, including the
Cameroonian community in London and Africa, will highlight how
communication technology is impact on lives today.
The new gallery is part of an ambitious "Master Plan" for the museum, which will include "a structure
of glass and light" called The
Beacon, a new facade; SkySpace, a new roof-top cosmology
gallery and café; and two new galleries - Making Modern
Communications and Making Modern Science.