Monthly open day of the Kirkaldy's Testing Works

David Kirkaldy's Testing & Experimenting Works in Southwark set the first international standards in materials testing; a science that has wide-reaching effects on everyday life today.

Today, this unique Victorian workshop keeps alive a direct link with Kirkaldy's innovation, at the heart of this bustling commercial district of London.

Kirkaldy's Testing Works preserves Kirkaldy's unique Universal Testing Machine - the huge hydraulic powered machine he designed and had built in Leeds - in full working order in the premises he built to house it.

As well as presenting the story of the family who ran the business for almost 100 years and of the wider development of materials testing, the workshop and the Universal Testing Machine provide a unique crucible for new experimentation and collaboration - which can inspire future generations of scientists and artists alike to continue enquiring into the properties of the materials on which we build our lives.

Your tour will include a 1-hour 30-minute tour around the Works (see the ticket options for the time slots available), including an introductory video and demonstrations of some of the smaller machines in our collection.