Aimed at families with children aged 7-14 and school groups, this thought-provoking attraction hopes to get children to discover their inner engineer. With its brightly coloured features and hands-on exhibits, it is designed to appeal to children, but with STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) concepts firmly rooted in the gallery’s railway heritage. There’s no “look but don’t touch” here – handling the exhibits and getting involved is the name of the game. With a wind tunnel to go in, sand to touch, wheels to turn, and balls to roll, it’s a very sensory experience!
The first thing that you see is the enormous orange artwork by Steve Messam that you can walk through to access the gallery. Called ‘Mass’, this dramatic inflatable sculpture dominates the centre of the gallery at 12 metres high, and really sets the tone for some of the “larger than life” interactive pieces to follow.
The 18 exhibits in the gallery focus on different elements of railways and engineering and encourage people to think like engineers and develop skills as they design, build and test to produce different outcomes.
From giant ball runs to smaller scale marble runs; route planning to bridge building; even an interactive wall that uses special electricity-conducting paint to create moving images and sounds operated by touch – the perfectly-named Wonderlab has much to enthrall. Visitors are encouraged to “Be curious – Be creative – Be a problem solver” – in the way that an engineer would be. As Judith McNicol, Director of the National Railway Museum, told me at the launch event, it’s all about “trying things out, maybe getting it wrong, but then persevering and learning from that failure to make an improvement next time”. Something at the heart of real-life engineering in practice, but also a good motto for life!
These Mumbler reviewers particularly loved:
💜 the “Great Machine” – a huge ball run on a mammoth scale – like a marble run on steroids! Can you work together to get the balls around the machine?
💜 a wall of tangled tubes forming a network of pathways, through which air was blowing. Use the junction switches to plan and create a route for your chiffon scarf, and see if it travels the route that you had planned. Can you catch your scarf as the machine spits it out?
💜 “Sandscapes” – a very clever tactile exhibit designed to demonstrate the challenges faced by civil engineers when planning a railway: a landscape and road/rail network is projected onto a tray of sand – use your hands to shift the sand around to create features such as hills, tunnels and lakes, and watch the train navigate the changing landscapes that you have made (difficult to explain; addictive to play with).
💜 the wind tunnel – made to illustrate streamlining and aerodynamics of shape, but also quite handy to finally live out your pop-star-in-a-wind-machine aspirations!
At the end of the Gallery lies a wonderful surprise and feast for the eyes – the brightly coloured “Play Revolution” by Pippa Hale. The room comprises large foam shapes that can be moved around the space encouraging visitors of all ages to think like engineers and build structures, bridges and towers, or otherwise get creative with their imaginations! There are hollows to explore and portholes to peep out from. This proved a huge hit with the children on the press day, who spent ages dragging the pieces about and building houses and even a bed!
As well as the hands-on exhibits, the Wonderlab will also feature a live science show in the purpose built science theatre as part of the general entry ticket. “Fire Powered”, an explosive and dramatic show running several times a day, will demonstrate how (safe) explosions can be created and controlled to make an engine work.
There will also be up to 6 short science demonstrations per day at the “Demo Bar”, which again will focus on very visual experiments to amaze and engage – expect “mild peril” with flames and explosions!
Photo credit: James Glossop photographer
The all-important verdict of the nearly-6 year old mini Mumbler Wilf was that it was “the best day ever”, and the exhibits were “more fun than fun” (which I think is a high compliment!).
From a parent’s point of view – we thought that it was an excellent exhibit. Wilf is a curious child, interested in things that move and how they work, and although he was at the bottom end of the target age range, it was still perfect for him, and he was able to understand some of the STEM concepts behind the exhibits. The ability to be hands on with pretty much everything in the gallery was brilliant for a child who is into everything. We spent over three hours in the Wonderlab Bramall Gallery itself, and then a further couple of hours in the main railway museum.
Although the target age range is 7 – 14 years old, we felt that it would still make a good day out for a family with a mixed range of ages. The school age children would definitely get the most out of it (understanding the underlying STEM concepts, and being able to use more sophisticated skills like planning a build and predicting outcomes), but there are plenty of hands-on activities and bright colours to entertain accompanying preschooler siblings.
📍 Where? Inside the National Railway Museum, Leeman Road, York YO26 4XJ
📅 When does it open to the public? Open from Thursday 27th July 2023 – timed slot tickets; prebooking necessary.
🎟 Tickets: Wonderlab operates a timed ticketing system with a particular 15 minute time slot to gain entry. This means you can enter the gallery within your chosen time slot. Once inside the gallery, the NRM website states that you can enjoy it at your own leisure. All visitors need to book a timeslot (including those holding an annual pass). Wonderlab tickets can be booked on the NRM website here. You’ll also need to book a free ticket for your general admission to the museum – link here.
🕙 Opening Times: The Wonderlab is open daily 10.00–16.30, last admission at 15.30
⌚ Suggested visit time: we’d say that the suggested minimum visit time would be 90 minutes to get the most out of your experience (if you book a 12.30pm slot you will only have 90 minutes to explore as it currently closes at 2pm). However, we happily spent almost 4 hours there! Also, see notes below about converting your ticket to an annual pass if you have a YO postcode, so you can have return visits.
💷 Prices: Day tickets from £13.50, annual passes from £24.00, under-2s free and family discounts available
Please note that only the Wonderlab exhibit is payable – entry to the rest of the National Railway Museum remains free (donations appreciated).
⭐ Offer for York residents (any YO postcode): Great news! A free upgrade to an annual pass is available in person at the museum for people with a YO postcode. You must upgrade your ticket in person at a Wonderlab ticket desk. Offer available until 3 September 2023. Proof of address will be required, such as a utility bill or driving licence.
⚙ Websites: Find out more about Wonderlab here. Find out more about the National Railway Museum itself here.
If you want to get an idea of what it all looks like, why not check out our Instagram reel of the Wonderlab, for a 90 second whistlestop tour of this amazing gallery!
View this post on Instagram
Review by Fiona Brook on behalf of York Mumbler.
With thanks to photographer James Glossop for letting me use some of his lovely photos to illustrate this blog (credited where applicable; other photos my own).
