Rumble Museum wins Royal Society Funding

The Radcliffe Observatory Project - from Ancient Ideas to Future Solutions

We are delighted to announce that our Radcliffe Observatory Project has been chosen as one of twenty-seven small museums across the UK to be awarded funding of up to £3,500 by the Royal Society in the latest round of its Places of Science scheme to engage communities with their local science stories. 

This project will explore, celebrate and build on the legacy of the Radcliffe Observatory in Oxford. It will engage our young people in the ancient scientific and architectural antecedents of this building through their own research projects. It will also look ahead to the future, by involving school students in measuring the thermal landscapes of their school buildings, and working with experts to explore designs to climate-proof the buildings. 

This data and the research projects will include a new mural celebrating the story of the Radcliffe Observatory from classical roots to present day, and the collection of data on the changing thermal landscape. We are excited to be working with the following partners: Chris Parkin at the History of Science Museum, exploring original artefacts housed at the museum; Green Templeton College, where the Radcliffe Observatory itself resides; and Professor Sue Roaf, designer of the first eco-house, to explore measures to cool buildings, using the data collected.