Thinktank Birmingham Science Museum

About

Thinktank Birmingham Science Museum is one of the Midlands’ most dynamic museums, blending hands‑on exploration with the city’s industrial heritage. Opened in 2001, it stands on the historic site of the former Curzon Street railway station, making it part of Birmingham’s long story of innovation. One of the most interesting facts is that Thinktank houses the oldest working steam engine in the world, the 1779 Smethwick Engine, a masterpiece of early engineering. Inside, the museum is arranged across four floors. The Science and Industry galleries showcase Birmingham’s manufacturing past, with full‑size locomotives, early cars and aircraft engines illustrating how the city helped shape modern transport. The Spitfire Gallery is a highlight, celebrating the Birmingham‑built components that powered the iconic WWII fighter. The Natural Science section offers fossils, taxidermy and geological specimens, including a dramatic dinosaur display that captivates younger visitors. The Medicine Matters gallery traces medical breakthroughs from Victorian surgery to contemporary biotechnology, featuring historic instruments and interactive exhibits.

Birmingham United Kingdom

Location

You will find it inside Millennium Point on Curzon Street, Birmingham, West Midlands B4 7XG, just opposite Eastside City Park. It is that big modern building you can't miss near the old Curzon Street Station, only about ten minutes walk from Moor Street Station and the Bullring. The location is perfect because you are right between the old and new Birmingham. Just outside you have Eastside City Park itself for a sit down and a coffee, and the Custard Factory in Digbeth is just a short stroll away, full of independent shops, street art and cafes. For museums and history, you are spoiled. The Museum of the Jewellery Quarter is close by, where you can see how the old jewellery workshops used to run. The Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery at Chamberlain Square is about fifteen minutes on foot, along with the Library of Birmingham and Town Hall. If you fancy something different, the Birmingham Back to Backs in the city centre shows how people lived in the old courtyard houses. A bit further out you have Aston Hall, that stunning Jacobean mansion with its big park, and St Philip's Cathedral in the centre. Everything is walkable or a quick tram ride, so you can easily make a full day of it.