Dear Sir,
Our mission is to inspire futures. But right now we need to focus on today and on the health and welfare of our visitors and colleagues as the nation comes together to deal with the threat of coronavirus. Following discussions with Government this afternoon, and guided by the science, we have decided that from this evening, (17th March) and until further notice, we will close all of our sites to the public. This includes our five museums: the Science Museum in London; National Railway Museum in York; Science and Industry Museum in Manchester; National Science and Media Museum in Bradford; and Locomotion in Shildon, County Durham.
While our doors will be closed for a while, our collection – and the inspirational stories it contains – will remain open to you online. Our talented teams, who have dealt so professionally with the challenges of the past few weeks, will find new ways to ignite your curiosity and lift your spirits during some difficult days ahead. Thank you for your support for our museums and thank you for pulling together at this concerning time. We know you’ll bear with us; if you have tickets to upcoming events, we will be in touch soon.
Given the uncertainty we are all facing together, it is not possible to say when our museums will be able to reopen to visitors. But we look forward to welcoming back old friends and igniting the curiosity of many more people who haven’t yet had the chance to visit us.
For the time being, please stay safe and keep in touch with us through our social media channels.
Best wishes.
Sir Ian Blatchford
Director and Chief Executive, Science Museum Group
