Opened 2001 Architecture firm WilkinsonEyre | Phone +44 1709 720002 | |
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Address Magna Way, Templeborough S60 1FD, United Kingdom Similar Clifton Park & Museum, Roche Abbey, Clifton Park Museum, Wentworth Woodhouse, Mexborough railway station Profiles | ||
Magna science adventure centre
Magna Science Adventure Centre is an educational visitor attraction, appealing primarily to children. It is located in a disused steel mill in the Templeborough district of Rotherham, England. The site used to be home to the Steel, Peech and Tozer steel works (also known as Steelos). In 50 AD it was the site of the Templeborough Roman fort.
Contents
- Magna science adventure centre
- Clips from the magna science adventure centre
- The Big Melt
- Real Ale Festival
- References
The principal exhibits are divided into five pavilions: Earth, Air, Fire, and Water. There is also a large outdoor play area Sci-Tek and water play area called Aqua-Tek.
The site, often used for staging events, conferences and gigs, is over 1/3 of a mile long and won the Enjoy England Gold Award for Business Tourism in 2006 and has received other awards for the high quality of product.
The creative, development, funding and building process was led by Stephen Feber, who selected the design team, led by architects WilkinsonEyre and exhibition designers Event Communications. Tim Caulton directed exhibition development, introducing spectacular exhibits that bridged science and art, such as Ned Kahn's fire tornado, "The Big Melt" (described below) and works by San Francisco 'artist in electricity' Cork Marcheschi. Magna's exhibitions won the Best Exhibition category at the 2002 Design Week Awards.
The Magna Science Adventure Centre won the 2001 RIBA Stirling Prize for its architects Wilkinson Eyre Architects, Mott MacDonald and Buro Happold's innovative use of space in the old steelworks. Visitors are often as impressed by the building itself as the attractions contained within it.
Clips from the magna science adventure centre
"The Big Melt"
Every hour, on the hour, Magna holds a display called "The Big Melt". Its purpose is to demonstrate how steel was made in an electric arc furnace until the steelworks closed in 1993. An authentic looking furnace is imitated with several fog, spark, flame and smoke machines, loudspeakers, lights, and blasts of rapidly burning propane which are ignited at appropriate points in the show. The show can be repeated up to four times an hour, but, in practice, it is usually run once an hour or twice an hour if visitor numbers are very high.
Real Ale Festival
Since 2011 the centre has been home to the annual Rotherham Real Ale and Music Festival. The festival was previously held at Oakwood Technology College. Money raised from the festival benefits local charities.