2018

Kirkaldys supports the Year of Engineering.

Why is the Kirkaldy Testing Museum important?

David Kirkaldy's Testing and Experimenting Works at 99 Southwark Street set international standards in testing materials from which everyone’s everyday life benefits today.

Today, this unique Victorian workshop keeps alive our direct link with Kirkaldy's innovation, at the heart of this bustling commercial district of London. The Kirkaldy Testing Museum preserves Kirkaldy's unique Universal Testing Machine - the huge hydraulic powered machine he designed and had built in Leeds - in full working order in the premises he built to house it.

As well as presenting the story of the family who ran the business for almost 100 years and of the wider development of materials testing, the workshop and the Universal Testing Machine provide a unique crucible for new experimentation and collaboration - which can inspire future generations of scientists and artists alike to continue enquiring into the properties of the materials on which we build our lives.

First Sunday of Every Month

Sunday 2nd September between 11 am and 5 pm (last entry 4 pm)

There will be regular guided tours from 11 am

Entrance fee: £5     Concessions: £4

We hope to run Kirkaldys machine at 2 pm but this may not always be possible.

The museum has no visitor waiting area so if possible could people arrive on the hour or the half hour.

If you are bringing a group of 10 or more on a normal opening day please send us an email with the time. We can then give you priority and avoid congestion.

The general contact email for visitors is info@testingmuseum.org.uk.

For more information about how to get to the museum and entrance details,
please go to the visiting page.

London Open House - We are back after a gap of a few years

Saturday 22nd September only from 10am to 4pm

Free entry but no guided tours - volunteers will be available to answer questions.

Group Visits - Click here to find out more

Become a Kirkaldy volunteer! - Click here to find out more

The museum is run entirely by volunteers. We now have a new lease but to afford the rent we have to open more often so we will need more helpers.

If you want to get involved, please email us at volunteer@testingmuseum.org.uk.

Supporters and endorsements

The museum receives no funding other than from visitors. Help preserve this amazing piece of our Victorian past for future generations.

If you are looking to partner with us and would like to find out more about getting involved in adding your support, please contact: partnerships@testingmuseum.org.uk

All donations are gratefully received.

Media coverage

Videos about the museum

Drawings of the museum

News Archive

Grade 2* Listing Details Here

In June 2014 English Heritage (now Historic England) upgraded our listing from grade 2 to grade 2*.

The directors would like to thank Professor David Perrett and the Greater London Industrial Archaeological Society (GLIAS), of which he is Chairman, for applying on behalf of the museum and seeing the up-grading through to its successful conclusion.

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