NEWS
Dates before Christmas Loved Tom Scott’s video and want to see Kirkaldy’s Universal Testing Machine in action for yourself? Good news! There’s availability on Saturday 28 November and Sunday 6 December — or search our other dates
Heritage At Risk Kirkaldy’s Testing Works has been added to Historic England’s Heritage At Risk register. This recognition supports our work for a sustainable future for this Grade II* heritage in the heart of London. Find out more about our project Testing Works Revealed and listen to our interview with Robert Elms on BBC Radio London (starts at 00:39:40) to find out more. We welcome your support!
Welcome to central London’s best working engineering museum and learning space — we want you to break something!
“Just a stone’s throw from Tate Modern, Kirkaldy’s Testing Works speaks to Southwark’s industrial past and the ingenuity and single-mindedness of one man, David Kirkaldy.”
Salterton Arts Review
Machines in action, not glass cases
Inside David Kirkaldy’s remarkable engineering workshop you can still see his mighty 116-ton Universal Testing Machine pull apart metal bars, just as it has here since 1874. The driving force for the Testing Works today is education, and each year hundreds of young people get hands-on with these historic working machines — seeing the fundamentals of physics in action.
Today, the architectural, design and heritage importance of Kirkaldy’s Testing Works is reflected in its Grade II*Listing, while the challenges this brings have also been recognised by Historic England, with inclusion on the Heritage at Risk register. To meet these, the charity that cares for the Testing Works now has a new mission: Testing Works Revealed, our project to open up the engineering heritage and opportunities at Kirkaldy Testing Works to more people, through capital refurbishment, improved interpretation and engaging programming. We want everyone to get involved!
Everyone’s welcome here. Experience one of the most remarkable engineering heritage survivors in London, celebrate science and design, join our volunteer team to support our STEM and STEAM work. And did we mention — you can break something!
Carved above the door is David Kirkaldy’s declaration, Facts not Opinions. Inside, his 116 ton Universal Testing Machine, which set world standards for engineering, still breaks metal today. Come and see for yourself!
“Our visit was brought to life by your wonderful volunteers…What a stimulating time, and an amazing space. A huge thank you to you all!”
The Bompas & Parr team
The Testing Works has a mission to support STEM and STEAM excellence. David Kirkaldy declared his faith in ‘Facts not Opinions’ right over the door. You can help us keep our doors open for tomorrow’s engineers, designers and innovators — visit, bring your group or hold your corporate event with us.
At ‘Facts Not Opinions’ we offer —
An inspiring learning space… Our working machines bring the fundamental principles of science and engineering to life, while Kirkaldy’s skill as a creative and technical draughtsman shows how design answers the challenges of our times. Ask us how
Volunteering opportunities…Help bring Kirkaldy’s Testing Works to life so we can open the doors more often! Join our team
Authentic, and working, Victorian engineering heritage …Book your tickets for a scheduled tour — and see the Universal Testing Machine in action.
Bespoke and exclusive group tours, as well as corporate and professional events, a venue for immersive art, filming, and more…Get in touchto see how we can help!
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On 1 January 1874 Scottish engineer David Kirkaldy opened the world’s first purpose-built, independent commercial materials testing house at 99 Southwark Street London. Inside, his patented 116-ton hydraulic-powered Universal Testing Machine could exert a force of up to 1,000,000lb, bringing rigorous new understanding to the strength of construction materials. Outside, he declared his independence over the door, ‘Facts Not Opinions’. The machine, and his challenge, are still here today.
Machines in action, not glass cases.
After three generations, and almost 100 years in business, Kirkaldy’s Testing Works has a new mission. As a volunteer-run charity we open the unique, atmospheric workshop with its still-working Universal Testing Machine to our community, visitors, schools & colleges, engineers, artists – everyone who wants to discover and bring new life to this remarkable place, which changed the way we built our world.
Find out about our plans — and how you can help!
It’s 150 years since the opening of the Testing & Experimenting Works at 99 Southwark Street, and today it runs entirely on volunteer power — why not join us? Help us safeguard, share and celebrate this remarkable place for the next generation! Find out how!
You can also support the Testing Works by making a donation.
