History Of Collection

Avebury ring, aerial photograph. The circles of standing stones and the henge (ditch) at Avebury date from about 2500 BC. The entire site encompasses some 28 acres and comprises a perimeter ditch

Standing stones of Stenness, Orkney Islands

Callanish stone circle. This neolithic stone circle is situated near Callanish, on Lewis, in the Outer Hebrides. The site dates from around between 2900 and 2600 BC

Easter Island statues. Row of megalithic moai statues on Easter Island (Rapa Nui) in the South Pacific. The statues top an ahu (burial platform) and look inland from beside the sea

Newtons own drawing of his reflecting telescope
Newtons telescope. Sir Isaac Newtons own drawing of his first reflecting telescope design. Newton invented the reflecting telescope in 1668. It worked by focusing light using a parabolic mirror (V)

Aerial view of Stonehenge. Dating from about 2100BC, Stonehenge consists of large sandstone blocks and smaller bluestone pillars. The outer ring of lintelled stones has a diameter of 30 metres

Isaac Newtons design for a reflecting telescope
Diagram of Sir Isaac Newtons design for a reflecting telescope. Known also as the Newtonian telescope. It worked by concentrating light by reflection from a parabolic mirror

Poster to advertise Professor Sloanes biography, Life of Napoleon
XIR901541 Poster to advertise Professor Sloanes biography, Life of Napoleon ; published by The Century Company, New York; Napoleon Bonaparte (1769-1821), 1895 (colour lithograph) by Toulouse-Lautrec

The Soho Foundry of Boulton and Watt
View of the shop-floor of the Soho Foundry showing steam engines under construction. The radical improvements by James Watt of the Newcomen design improved the power

Sundial, RHS Garden Rosemoor, Devon, UK
Garden sundial. This sundial is used to measure time by the position of the sun. The shadow cast on the dial face points to indicate the hour of the day

Neolithic standing stone. This stone is part of Avebury henge, a Neolithic monument dating to around 5000 years ago. The monument consists of earthworks, known as dykes, situated in a large ditch

Avebury henge, Wiltshire, UK. These stones are part of Avebury henge, a Neolithic monument dating to around 5000 years ago

Sundials on the Countess Pillar, Cumbria
Sundials on the Countess Pillar. The pillar was erected in 1656 by Lady Anne Clifford, the Countess of Dorset, in memory of her mother Margaret. Photographed near Penrith, Cumbria, UK

Computer illustration of Stonehenge and the Moon
Stonehenge. Computer artwork of a full moon over the silhouetted stones of Stonehenge. Stonehenge is a prehistoric site comprised of four rings of standing stones in Wiltshire, UK

Stone circle

An astronomer with his astrolabe, an illustration from the Nuernberg Chronicles of the World, published in 1493. The astrolabe was a primitive type of instrument used, in the form shown here

View of the Greenwich Observatory, London, England
Greenwich Observatory buildings. View of the Greenwich Observatory buildings, London, England. The observatory was founded in 1675 by Charles II who appointed an Astronomer Royal to run it

Ulugbeks observatory in Samarkand, Uzbekistan. Ulugbek, or Ulugh Beg, (1394-1449) built this observatory, called Gurkhani Zij, in 1428. He used it to catalogue the positions of nearly 1000 stars

Engraving of the mirror from Herschels telescope
Telescope mirror. Engraving of the mirror from a telescope built by the German-British astronomer William Herschel (1738-1822)

An astronomical sextant designed by Tycho Brahe
An astronomical sextant designed and built by Tycho Brahe, the last of the great naked-eye astronomers. It was built in 1572, in the garden of a house in Augsberg, Germany

The Great Equatorial Armillary Instrument, one of the instruments at Tycho Brahes great observatory at Uraniburg on the island of Hveen, Denmark (now Ven, Sweden)

Astronomical instrument. Historical artwork of an altazimuth instrument, which also houses a telescope. Altazimuths are used to measure altitude and azimuth

Composite image of star trails over Stonehenge
Stonehenge. Composite image of star trails over the silhouetted stones of Stonehenge. Stonehenge is a prehistoric site comprised of four rings of standing stones in Wiltshire, UK

Sundial

The zodiacal armillary instrument, one of the instruments at Tycho Brahes great observatory at Uraniburg on the island of Hveen, Denmark (now Ven, Sweden)

Face of a sundial

Illustration showing Koenigsberg heliometer
Illustration showing the Koenigsberg heliometer, an intrument designed by Friedrich Bessel, director of the Koenigsberg observatory, and built for him by Joseph von Fraunhofer

Historical telescope. Early brass telescope. Photographed at Universita degli Studi, Facolta di Agraria di Portici, Naples, Italy

Brass astrolabe from the middle ages
Astrolabe. Brass astrolabe from the middle ages. The astrolabe consists of circles marked with angular measurements. By aligning the astrolabe with the horizon

Astronomical Clock, Prague, Czech Republic. This astronomical dial dates back to 1410 and displays three different sets of time; central European time, old Bohemian time and Babylonian time

Zodiac on a brass astrolabe from the middle ages
Astrolabe zodiac. Zodiac on the obverse side of a brass astrolabe from the middle ages. The twelve signs of the zodiac are drawn in a semi-circle in the lower frame

Artwork of refractor telescope that found Neptune
Refracting telescope. Artwork of the 23 centimetre (9-inch) Fraunhofer refractor telescope at Berlin Observatory, Germany, on 23 September 1846, the night that it was used to discover Neptune

Newtonian telescope. Historical illustration of a Newtonian telescope used for photographing the Sun. A Newtonian telescope uses a mirror rather than a lens to focus light

Abstract illustration of Stonehenge and the Moon
Stonehenge. Abstract illustration of a full moon over the silhouetted stones of Stonehenge. Stonehenge is a prehistoric site comprised of four rings of standing stones in Wiltshire, UK

Alessandro Voltas crown of cups, an early example of Voltas pile or battery, the earliest form of battery supplying a continuous current

Claude Bernard, French physiologist
Claude Bernard (1813-1878), French physiologist and pioneer of experimental medicine and physiological chemistry. Bernards discoveries were wide-ranging

Jacques Bernoulli, Swiss mathematician
Jacques Bernoulli (1654-1705), Swiss mathematician. Jacques, also known as Jacob, was the first of eight prominent mathematicians in the Bernoulli family

Historical microscope. Early microscope in its box. Photographed at Universita degli Studi, Facolta di Agraria di Portici, Naples, Italy

Marie-Francois Bichat, pathologist
Marie-Francois Xavier Bichat (1771-1802), French pathologist and founder of modern histology. Bichat noted that various organs consist of several components, or tissues

Jean Bernoulli, Swiss mathematician
Jean Bernoulli (1667-1748), Swiss mathematician. Johann, also known as Jean, followed his brother Jacques into mathematics and the two of them did pioneering work in calculus

Archimedes, Greek mathematician
Archimedes of Syracuse (c. 287-212 BC), Greek mathematician, physicist and engineer. Archimedes is regarded as the greatest mathematician of ancient times

George Biddell Airy, British astronomer
George Biddell Airy (1801-1892), British astronomer, 19th century engraving. During his career, Airy was elected president to the Royal Astronomical Society

Christiaan Huygens, Dutch physicist
Christiaan Huygens (1629-1695), Dutch astronomer, physicist and inventor of the pendulum clock presenting one of his time pieces to King Louis XIV (1638-1715) of France in 1659

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The history of mankind is etched in the stones that have withstood the test of time. From the majestic Avebury Ring to the enigmatic Standing Stones of Stenness in Orkney Islands, these ancient monuments hold secrets from our past. The Callanish Stone Circle stands as a testament to human ingenuity and spiritual beliefs, while the Easter Island statues continue to captivate us with their mysterious origins. Delving deeper into history, we uncover scientific marvels like the historical microscope that allowed us to explore an unseen world. Aerial views of Stonehenge showcase its grandeur and leave us in awe of our ancestors' engineering prowess. Intriguing artifacts also shed light on significant figures throughout history. A poster advertising Professor Sloanes biography, "Life of Napoleon, " reminds us of one man's impact on an entire era. Meanwhile, The Soho Foundry of Boulton and Watt serves as a reminder of industrial revolution pioneers who shaped modern society. Amidst these monumental achievements, simpler yet equally fascinating objects emerge. A sundial nestled within RHS Garden Rosemoor not only tells time but connects us to nature's rhythms. Neolithic standing stones stand tall, silently witnessing centuries pass by at Avebury Henge. As we unravel the tapestry woven by our ancestors through these historical remnants, we gain insights into their lives and aspirations. Each piece represents a chapter in humanity's story.