Barometer World facts for kids

Barometer World was once the world's only museum dedicated to barometers. It was located in the village of Merton, in Devon, England. Barometers are special tools that measure air pressure. This helps us understand and predict the weather. Barometer World still makes, sells, and fixes many different types of barometers. Philip Collins started the business in 1979. In March 2022, the museum part of Barometer World closed its doors. Now, it operates only online.

History of Barometer World

In 1987, Barometer World moved from its first home, The Old Smithy, to a new place called Quicksilver Barn. A special display of barometers was opened in 1990 by Peter Negretti. This display was later replaced by a new one that you can now see online. The old location had a shop, a workshop, and the exhibition.

Philip Collins is the person who started Barometer World. He began learning how to fix barometers when he was just 19 years old. In 1979, he created his own company focusing on barometers. Mr. Collins has written many books about barometers and how to restore them. He was also a member of the Royal Meteorological Society.

Amazing Barometer Displays

The museum's main display showed many different kinds of barometers. It also featured other cool items used for weather forecasting. You could see early weather tools, a "snorting barometer," and even a special mining barometer. There were also Fitzroy barometers and unusual items like a shark oil predictor and weather houses.

One amazing piece was a full-size copy of Merryweather's Tempest Prognosticator. This unique machine was shown at the famous Great Exhibition in 1851. It was a working copy, but the museum rarely used it.

From 1995 to 2005, Barometer World also displayed the Banfield Family Collection. This collection had 350 barometers, mostly owned by Edwin Banfield. They were on loan to the museum for ten years.

For National Science Week in 2000, Barometer World did something really cool. They rebuilt Magdeburg Hemispheres for a demonstration. This showed the power of air pressure. They used 16 shire horses to try and pull apart two 24-inch-wide hemispheres. Barometer World sometimes put on special shows to demonstrate the power of the atmosphere.

The Barometer Workshop

Barometer World had a workshop where barometers could be made or repaired. However, rules changed in October 2009. New European Union (EU) rules banned the use of mercury in new barometers. This meant the workshop had to make fewer new mercury barometers. If you need a barometer fixed, it's best to contact them first.

In 2001, a copy of a 17th-century glass kiln was built. This was an experiment to see how glass was made long ago. The kiln was built using old designs. It could reach very high temperatures, around 1300 degrees Celsius, just by burning wood.