Londoners and visitors to 鈥榯he flower of all cities鈥� categorise its
visible attractions as historical or artistic, but its many connections
with science tend to invisibility, a ghostly presence at the corner of the
eye. Behind the doors of some of the fine buildings admired by tourists
and passersby lie the libraries, institutes and museums whose details fill
the pages of London Science (Prion, pp 224, 拢14.99). Dennis and Sylvia
Rosen enjoyed tracking down the smaller museums, such as the Horniman
Museum and the Museum of Garden History in Lambeth that houses the tomb
of plant collector John Tradescant. They also guide you to the famous places
such as the Science Museum in South Kensington and Greenwich鈥檚 Royal Observatory.
The chapter 鈥榃here the work is done鈥� reminds us that science in London is
alive and well and, in many cases, accessible to the public. So, although
most laboratories are private, the Rosens suggest visiting the University
of London Observatory at Mill Hill. They also list the science libraries.
In Westminster, for example, Marylebone library specialises in medicine
and health, with its 150 journals and 41 000 books, while the Royal Botanic
Gardens at Kew has 120 000 books in its archives.
鈥楽cience through an artist鈥檚 eyes鈥� takes us in search of images of scientists.
The National Portrait Gallery鈥檚 collection is well worth a visit. The walks
and river trip that round off the book are well worth trying, though not
all visitors will follow the Rosens鈥� advice to round off one stroll 鈥� it
takes in a pint of beer, plaques to philanthropists, inventors, libraries
and statues 鈥� with donating a pint of blood at the National Transfusion
Centre. One of the wall plaques you will pass commemorates Charles Stanhope,
an 18th-century inventor and reformer. His career began with a treatise
on pendulums at the age of 17 that won him election to the Royal Society
two years鈥� later. His inventions included printing systems, an improved
microscope lens and a mechanical calcuator. Although a father he abandoned
his children because he disliked them. An enjoyable companion for travellers,
London Science is also a surprisingly good read for a guide book.
