National Science and Media Museum

What to see at the National Science and Media Museum

The museum has seven permanent galleries depicting various aspects of the history, art and science of photography, film and television. The exhibition galleries are complemented by three cinemas including Europe’s first IMAX cinema.

Permanent galleries at the National Science and Media Museum

The permanent exhibition space includes:

Kodak Gallery
The Kodak Gallery focuses on the history of photography and includes some of the world’s first photos in addition to photos and artefacts from 35,000 items from donated by Kodak. Exhibits in the Kodak Gallery include a display about the early pioneers of photography (including Louis Daguerre, Nicéphore Niépce and Henry Fox Talbot), a replica 1865 photography studio, an exhibit showing how photography became a popular hobby after the introduction of the Brownie camera in 1900 and an exhibit showing the development of photography in the late 20th century with an emphasis on major breakthroughs such as the Instamatic camera, the rise in popularity of the 35mm SLR, Polaroid instant photography, the development of colour photography and the rise in digital photography.

Wonderlab
Interactive exhibits in the Wonderlab gallery explain the science behind photography, film and television. These exhibits include a thermal camera, a room where you can learn how ultraviolet light works and displays that explain how animation works, how we see different colours and how our hearing range changes as we age.

Life Online
The Life Online gallery has exhibits that explore the cultural and social impact of the internet.

BFI Mediatheque
The BFI Mediatheque gives visitors access to the British Film Institute’s extensive collection of films and television programmes in the British Film Institute’s National Archive.

Games Lounge
The Games Lounge features exhibitions showcasing the history of video gaming from its origins in 1952 to the present day. This exhibit has a £2 admission fee but once inside you are free to play many of the classic arcade game consoles that are on display here.

Cinemas at the National Science and Media Museum

The museum complex also includes three cinemas including the UK’s first permanent IMAX cinema, the excellent Pictureville Cinema (one of only three cinemas in the world that is set up to show original three-strip 35mm Cinerama prints) and the Cubby Broccoli Cinema.

Festivals and temporary exhibitions at the National Science and Media Museum

In addition to its permanent exhibitions, the museum also hosts a programme of temporary exhibitions. Current and planned exhibitions include:

David Hockney: Pieced Together
This exhibition (until 18 May 2025) looks at David Hockney’s use of film and photography. Best known for his paintings, Hockney has also explored visual ‘collages’ using still and video cameras. These works examine how people see and experience scenes in real life. The exhibition includes The Four Seasons: Woldgate Woods and his early ‘joiner’ photocollages. One of these, created in 1985, depicts the museum when it was the National Museum of Photography, Film and Television.

The museum’s temporary exhibitions are complemented by a programme of film festivals that take place at the museum’s three cinemas.

Visiting the National Science and Media Museum

The National Science and Media Museum is located at the southern end of Bradford’s city centre. It is close to Centenary Square and the iconic Alhambra Theatre and it is only a five-minute walk from the Bradford Police Museum and both Bradford Interchange and Forster Square stations are a little over a 10-minute walk away.

Admission to the exhibition space is free of charge; however, there is a charge to enter the Games Lounge and there is also a charge to watch films in the cinemas.

The interactive exhibits in the Wonderlab gallery and the playable video game consoles in the Games Lounge mean that the museum is a good place to visit for families with children.

The museum complex is fully wheelchair accessible, although wheelchair spaces are limited inside the cinemas.

Free Wi-Fi wireless internet access is available throughout the museum.

The museum has its own cafe and there is also an area where you can eat your own food plus a bar for cinema customers. Its location in the city centre means that there are also plenty of other eating and drinking options nearby.

There is quite a lot to see here and it is easy to spend a few hours here.