Enginuity at Ironbridge Museum Review
Enginuity at Ironbridge Museum
Shropshire
Reviewed by Helen Stewart
Our day at Enginuity was enjoyed by all. We were a party of two adults and two boys aged 10 and 6 and a girl aged 5. We all learnt something new and had fun playing and learning together.
We headed for the town of Ironbridge where there are many Enginuity brown tourist signs to direct us to the site. On arrival, the pay and display car park (£2) was right by the front door. The staff welcomed us all and gave us the basic information needed with added guidance relating to the special events available on that day. Some activities and workshops only occur at certain times so it’s best to check what is on before you go.
Enginuity opens daily at 10am and closes at 5pm.
Over the five hours we spent in Enginuity, all of us were entertained and engaged in many different interactive fun and science based educational activities.
As soon as we walked in, there was a large reconstruction of a waterway with a canal, waterfall, a couple of dams which you could open and close, we created a rainstorm and even saved the town from flooding. We could then use the power of running water to generate electricity (Hydro-electricity), the children loved playing with the boats in the water, they got very wet even though we used the aprons supplied. My son particularly liked pressing a button that fired a jet of water overhead.
Most of the activities were interactive some with a screen which would give instruction and information. Other activities were self-explanatory or had an instruction panel which gave an objective and often we would then work together to reach that objective. For example there was a display with a big wheel with a sign saying ‘Turn’. If you turned the wheel it would generate energy which would show on a meter. With our generated power we moved a life sized train! There was always a knowledgeable member of staff available to help or give advice.
At the back of the museum there was a large workshop where we could all make, colour and decorate our own creation, we made a kaleidoscope and a bunnycopter! During this time we were all entertained with a light and shadow story, read out and performed by staff and volunteers.
Upstairs there was the ‘Fab Lab Club’ with a group of fully trained helpful members of staff who are there to help and assist in the use of the some of the most up to date technology and tools for digital fabrication! They explained what they do and the service that they provide, in a way that our five year old (and a forty year old) could understand.
My son’s favourite was a soft play area for under 6 year olds where our two youngest children spent half an hour and a lot of energy building a castle to play in!
There were puzzles to solve, a scan machine where you could play a quiz using the scanner, or just find out about all the items on show, and lots of other interactive machines.
There were operational x-ray machines, which were set on a track which the children could manipulate to hover over an object to x-ray to see what that object was made out of.
We had great fun and giggles building a 6ft high arched bridge from rubber building blocks. The staff were friendly, open and eager to help either to direct us to the right place or to teach us how to do, use, make or even just to read us a story!!
Enginuity was well organised, great fun and educational. Personally I feel that the entrance fee of just over £35 was an average price to pay for a museum and in this case well worth paying for the whole family to spend quality time together.
We were told we could bring our own food, as there was a small area with tables and chairs and a couple of vending machines. There was also cafe associated with the museum in the next building. It was clean and tidy and had a good variety of food and drinks on offer at an average cost.
The overall experience was very good, we all thoroughly enjoyed our time at Enginuity and we would recommend it to others.
Rating: 4/5
Tickets (with Gift Aid): Adult £8.10 (£8.95), Child £6.80 (£7.50), 60 Plus £7.20 (£7.95)
For more information or to book tickets visit www.ironbridge.org.uk/our-attractions/enginuity.
