We the Curious reopens it's doors in Bristol
The science museum is open after more than two years of closure
We the Curious, Bristol’s biggest science centre and educational charity, has reopened today after two years of closure.
The science centre shut its doors in April 2022 due to a fire outbreak that caused serious structural damage.
We The Curious initially planned to reopen in January, but delays in its supply chain caused a setback.
Bryony Roberts, Content Director at We The Curious said: “It's been a long time coming, but we are so happy and excited that they everyone’s back in.
“All the team have been getting goosebumps – we're seeing everybody coming in, we see all the children who've been here before going straight to their favourite exhibits.
“They're so excited to be there, seeing lots of new people just trying to find their way around and enjoy all the different experiences.”
The science centre said they got much support from the city during the period of closure, with so many people telling them about their experiences there.
“We have people who have been coming here on school visits since they were very little and are adults now.
“I think we hold a special place in people's hearts and so we just want to honour that and make sure that when they come in this space, they feel like they are welcome because they very much are,” she said.
Ms. Roberts explained that none of the previous exhibits were damaged and so the experience “is still exactly as it was, and even better in many ways”.
“There's some bits and bobs that have changed, but also, a lot of people haven't had a chance to enjoy us for such a long time.
“We've kept a lot of the old favourites andd there's some new little secret ones kind of tucked away – so if you know the place well, it's worth kind of going around and trying to find what those new bits are around the venue,” she said.
There is a new exhibition called ‘Project What If’ which features questions from people in Bristol of different ages and communities.
“It was a massive project that we did working with the people of Bristol, where they asked 10,000 questions, we picked seven of them to create this beautiful exhibit.
“It's got a little constellation around the place – some questions like why do rainbows make me happy, and can my soul be seen by science?
“If you come in, there'll be activities happening here. That's a chance for you to ask more questions as well, because we just can't get enough of them,” she said.
In 2022, a fire broke out in the roof after a bird dropped a stone on a solar panel, causing it to malfunction.
According to a report by the Building Research Establishment the chance of such an event occurring is less than 0.01%.
Since the fire, staff have been conducting free outreach events in schools and communities, with over 270 free activities held reaching more than 37,000 people.
Ms Roberts said they just want to keep catering to the curiosity of the people.
“We want more curiosity going out there and we are here to say that science is everything – science is asking questions, science is the world around us.
“Just being alive and engaging with the world, we are doing science, and we want everyone to believe that they have that ability to do that.
"We are here to facilitate that and get that kind of going in them. Curiosity is at the heart of everything,” she said.