Science Gallery London to close at the end of July

The Science Gallery London is to permanently close at the end of this month – ending the UK’s participation in an international network of science centres.

The gallery was established in 2018 as a hub for university research and public imagination. Kings College London, which ran the site, said in a statement that the closure reflects its “refocusing of institutional resources towards its education, research and innovation priorities”.

Its final exhibition, The Art of Care, Threads of Protest and A Thread that Binds Us, will remain open until 31 July, after which point the gallery building will revert to its previous name Boland House and become available for venue hire.

The Science Gallery London was part of the Science Gallery International – a network of interconnected galleries that was first pioneered by Trinity College Dublin in 2012.

Last month, Science Gallery International’s board announced it would be shutting down, with responsibility for the network’s growth and collaboration transferred to its member galleries in Bengaluru, India; Melbourne, Australia; and Monterrey, Mexico.  

In a statement, the board said: “Going forward, the science gallery directors in each location will lead the network’s expansion as a natural extension of their work.”

In a post on LinkedIn, Science Gallery London said: “When Science Gallery London opened in September 2018 – in a transformed building at the heart of one of London's most historic medical campuses – it represented a bold ambition: to bring university research and public imagination into genuine, creative conversation.

“Over the eight years that followed, that ambition was realised in ways that have positively impacted the many researchers, students, young people, local communities, artists, and partners who have collaborated with Science Gallery London.

“King’s College London holds Science Gallery International and its global community of members in high esteem and remains open to future collaboration with the network.”

The capital costs of developing the gallery in 2018 were supported by major funders including the Wellcome Trust and Guy's and St Thomas' Charity,

Trinity College Dublin's launched the network to connect its own science gallery to international sites, including London and Detroit in the US.  

The centres in Dublin and Detroit both closed in 2022. Science Gallery Dublin’s closure was criticised by former staff and professors at the university.

Despite efforts to reverse the decision, Trinity College said that a sharp decline in grants and philanthropic income since 2017 meant that the gallery had incurred substantial deficits of €1.65m by September 2021.