Imaginarium

The 1800s were a period of great scientific discovery and industrial development. Mathematics played an important role in the huge engineering projects being carried out. During the same period parlour games became a popular form of entertainment. Often carried out with guests in the best room in the house (the parlour) they included logic puzzles and tested players mathematics skills. 

Some of the best mind-binding puzzles appear very simple. Why not have a go at the Pyramid Puzzle? You have just four pieces to assemble a pyramid. It’s not as easy as you think! If you solve that one, try the Tangram next. This Chinese puzzle asks you to use the pieces to create specific patterns, like animals, shapes or numbers.

Further scientific advances in understanding of sight and sound influenced other games too. You’ve probably seen a kaleidoscope before. We have one here for you to look through. But have you ever heard of a praxinoscope? Or a phenakistoscope? You can try those here too. Or take things to the next level by investigating Pepper’s Ghost! Invented in the 1500s, but popularised in the Victorian Age, this effect amazed audiences at the time when it was employed in a stage production of a Charles Dickens story. Can you work out how it’s done?

Play, Imagine, Invent…

Here we connect you with the ingenuity of past inventors, entrepreneurs, scientists, and designers. And we explore how play, imagination, and creativity in these grown-up worlds influenced toys and popular culture.

Through play we improve our health, we develop self-expression, and we unlock the potential of future generations.  In this gallery we invite you to explore, discuss, and play together, because we believe the best way to learn and make sense of the world is through shared and active experiences.