National Media Museum - Building and Admission

Building and Admission

Entrance is free with the exception of cinema screens. The museum is open 10 am until 6 pm everyday. The museum underwent a £16 million refurbishment in 1998, developing a new digital technology gallery and now hosts the BBC's Bradford offices, and studios for BBC Radio Leeds and the BBC Bradford and West Yorkshire Website. This new development created a new glass-fronted atrium, which houses a new cafe and shop.

There are seven permanent exhibitions:

  • Kodak Gallery – The Kodak Gallery takes you on a journey through the history of popular photography, from the world's first photographs to the digital snapshots of today. Most of the items on display in the gallery are taken from our collection of 35,000 objects and images donated by Kodak Ltd.
  • Life Online – Life Online is the world's first gallery dedicated to exploring the social, technological and cultural impact of the internet. Trace the history of the internet, uncover how it has changed people's lives and track the latest trends.
  • Experience TV – Who invented television and when did it begin in Britain? What does a vision mixer do? What did television sets look like in the sixties? Why do we have adverts on television and how much are we influenced by what we see? Find the answers to all these questions and explore the exciting world of television in our interactive Experience TV gallery.
  • TV Heaven – The first of its kind in Britain, TV Heaven is a unique viewing facility where you can access an archive of more than 1000 programmes from the last sixty years of British television history. Our TV Heaven collection highlights television's enduring capacity to inform, educate and entertain.
  • Magic Factory – The Magic Factory uses hands-on exhibits to demonstrate the scientific principles of light and colour, and help develop your understanding of the science behind photography, film and television. There are over 30 activities with accompanying notes should you wish to explore these topics further.
  • Animation – The Animation Gallery explores the history of animation and animated images, with an emphasis on animation produced in Britain. See some of your favourite characters, look back at animation through the ages and discover how animators bring drawings and objects to life.
  • Games Lounge – Play your way through classic games in their original arcade or console formats, learn about the history of videogaming, and discover the story behind a global phenomenon.


Current temporary exhibitions

In the Blink of an Eye: Media and Movement

Gallery One & Two: 9 March 2012 - 14 October 2012

Our world is constantly in motion. Since the earliest cave paintings, people have been fascinated by the representation of movement. This exhibition explores the relationship between media and movement, revealing how artists, photographers, inventors and scientists have responded to the challenges of capturing and simulating movement, creating images which transcend the boundaries of Art, Science and Entertainment.

In the Blink of an Eye is part of imove, a Cultural Olympiad programme in Yorkshire. imove has been funded by Legacy Trust UK, creating a lasting impact from the London 2012 Olympics and Paralympics Games by funding ideas and local talent to inspire creativity across the UK.


Life Online - : Is the internet you know under threat?

Level 7: March 2012 - February 2013

A part of Life Online the Museum's exhibition space on Level 7 examines our relationship with the internet and how it impacts our lives. The temporary exhibition space will explore the shifting online world through digital art and interactive elements. The first exhibition is : Is the internet you know under threat? - an exploration of the open source nature of the internet and the current threats to net neutrality which could signify the end of this culture.

open: with no restrictions source: from which something comes or can be obtained

The internet is based on an open culture of sharing and collaboration. The companies who provide access to the internet are proposing to change the way we view and pay for online content. Could this signify the end of the open internet as we know it?


The museum contains:

  • The Pictureville Cinema containing 306 seats
  • The Cubby Broccoli Cinema (in memory of Cubby Broccoli, producer of James Bond films) containing 108 seats
  • The IMAX cinema

The museum is host to courses taught with the University of Bradford's EIMC Department including BSc Media Technology & Production, BSc Creative Media & Technologies, BSc Computer Animation and Special Effects and BA Media Studies. Subjects include broadcast television using the TV studio on its top floor. The EIMC degree show is in the Pictureville Cinema.

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