Conferences - The Scientific Instrument Society - formed in April 1983 to bring together people with a specialist interest in scientific instruments, ranging from precious antiques to electronic devices only recently out of production

Historically this trip abroad (from the UK perspective!) has been called the Annual Overseas Conference. It normally lasts four to six days and is usually held in the Spring, with groups varying in size from 20 to 50. The reports in the Bulletin, usually compiled from short contributions by participants, are a source of inspiration for members planning private visits. For most trips since 2002, participants have produced souvenir CD-ROMS with full reports and many photographs. The list below also includes longer Autumn visits where these have spread over more than one day.

1983 Gloucester (18-20 November)
1985 Paris (with the Societé de l'Astrolabe) (31 May-1 June)
1987 Chicago / USA Midwest (22-25 May)
1988 Belgium (16-20 May)
1989 Prague/Vienna (25 April-1 May)
1990 Dublin (15-18 May)
1991 Leiden (13-17 May)
1991 Liverpool, Prescot, Manchester (19-20 October)
1992 London and Oxford (May)
1993 Cracow (10-14 May)
1994 Spain (10-15 May)
1995 Florence (20-26 March)
1996 Nuremberg, Regensburg, Munich (20-27 March)
1996 Geneva (7-8 September)
1997 Rome (4-9 March)
1998 Paris (3-7 March)
1999 Lisbon, Coimbra (3-8 May)
2000 Milan, Pavia, Lake Como (9-14 May)
2001 Oxford, Snowshill Manor, Waddesdon (7-9 September)
2002 Hamburg, Bremerhaven, Oldenburg, Kiel (11-16 May)
2003 Edinburgh, Glasgow, St Andrews, Dundee, Aberdeen (29 April-3 May)
2003 Brussels, Ghent (18-19 October)
2004 Copenhagen, Taastrup, Soro, Herlufsholm, Malmo (2-7 May)
2005 St Petersburg, Pavlovsk (14-20 May)
2006 Dresden, Weimar, Jena (26-29 March)
2006 York, Whitby, Hull, Burton Constable (12-14 October)
2007 Florence, Arezzo (26-30 March)
2007 Birmingham (21-22 September)
2008 Utrecht, Leiden, Haarlem, Delft, Rotterdam, Franeker, Groningen (6-9 May)

OTHER VISITS AND EVENTS

Usually these are visits to museums, often with handling sessions and/or visits to behind-the-scenes stores, country houses and institutions, but there have also been workshops and debate meetings, and even a convivial Thames cruise! The reports are published in the Bulletin and are a source of inspiration for members planning private visits.

20.07.1983 National Army Museum: 'Fakes and Facsimiles'
28.02.1984 Shell-Mex House: 'History of Burning Mirrors'
12.06.1984 Shell-Mex House: Spectroscopes / Photography of Scientific Instruments
06.10.1984 Green College, Oxford: Joint Meeting with Royal Meteorological Society
15.01.1985 Science Museum
30.03.1985 National Maritime Museum: 'Science and the Sea'
22.03.1986 Royal Museum of Scotland: 'The Business of Instruments'. Joint meeting with the Antiquarian Horological Society
08.12.1986 Washington Hotel, London
20.02.1987 Culham Laboratory, Oxfordshire
09.11.1987 Science Museum, Optics Gallery
06.04.1988 Science Museum: Demonstration in style of Benjamin Martin / 'James Ferguson'
08.12.1988 Christie's, South Kensington
17.01.1989 Phillips, New Bond Street: Antikythera mechanism / Slide rules
21.10.1989 British College of Ophthalmic Opticians (British Optical Association Museum)
07.02.1990 Science Museum: History of the Foucault Pendulum
20.10.1990 University of Bristol Physics Department, Bristol Industrial Museum
05.12.1990 Royal Institution
18.07.1991 Science Museum: Joint meeting with Antiquarian Horological Society
25.09.1991 Christie's, London (Nicolas Webster collection)
28.03.1992 National Maritime Museum: 'Columbus: The Man and His Achievement'
10.11.1992 Science Museum: Quiz
26.03.1993 Society of Antiquaries: 'Was there an Elizabethan telescope?'
20.01.1994 Science Museum: George III Collection
22.03.1994 Society of Antiquaries: 'How to look at scientific instruments?'
20-21.05.1995 Conservation Seminar at West Dean College: 'Conservation of Scientific Instruments'
11-12.05.1996 Conservation Seminar at West Dean College: 'The Colouring of Material'
26.10.1996 Old Royal Observatory / National Maritime Museum reserve collections
16.11.1996 Oxford: workshop on the art of engraving
17.05.1997 Longleat House, Bath
28.04.1998 British Museum: Private view of Humphrey Cole exhibition
1998 Conservation seminar at West Dean College: Organic materials / Lacquering
22.08.1998 York Castle
17.04.1999 British Museum: Hands-on session in Clock Room
19.06.1999 Liverpool County Museum and Merseyside Maritime Museum
29.10.1999 British Museum: Electroforming workshop
19.11.1999 Whipple Museum
04.03.2000 Greenwich: 'Story of Time'
05.07.2000 Thames cruise
23.09.2000 Bury St. Edmunds: Joint meeting with Antiquarian Horological Society
20.01.2001 Royal Astronomical Society
12.05.2001 Museum of London
23.02.2002 Woolwich Royal Artillery Museum
12.04.2002 Science Museum reserve collection (Blythe House)
05.10.2002 Bristol: Brunel Instruments, Industrial Museum, University Library
24.01.2003 Royal Institution
26.11.2003 British Museum: Electroforming workshop repeat
27.02.2004 The College of Optometrists (British Optical Association Museum)
02.07.2004 Whipple Museum (preceding AGM on the 3rd, see above)
16.10.2004 Museum of Science and Industry, Manchester
18.03.2005 Victoria & Albert Museum, London
09.07.2005 National Maritime Museum
14.10.2005 Royal Society
19.05.2006 Science Museum reserve collection (Blythe House)
09.02.2007 Institute of Historical Research: 'Jesse Ramsden: London's leading scientific instrument maker - Why?'
09.02.2007 Science Museum (Smith Centre): 'Treasures from the Astronomy Collection'.
29.02.2008 Galton Collection, University College London and Wellcome Collection exhibition on 'Sleeping and Dreaming'
04.07.2008 Glaziers Hall: Mini conference on the London Guilds and City Livery Companies. Joint meeting with WCSIM