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The Pneumatic Institution - Talk and Mini-Tour

6 Dowry Square, Bristol, BS8 4SH
45 mins
Culture

Step inside the former site of the Pneumatic Institution – a Georgian townhouse in Bristol where the great luminaries of the Romantic age once gathered to reimagine science, poetry, and the boundaries of the mind.

In 1799, with help from Erasmus Darwin, James Watt and other benefactors, the physician Thomas Beddoes founded the Pneumatic Institution in these rooms to investigate whether the inhalation of gases might hold some promise for the treatment of consumption and other diseases. He appointed the young chemist Humphry Davy to lead the experiments.

But when Davy stumbled across the mind-altering properties of nitrous oxide, he recognised that its application might extend far beyond mere medicine.

Learn about the Pneumatic Institution and its remarkable cast of characters including Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Thomas Beddoes, Robert Southey, Peter Mark Roget, and Thomas Wedgwood.

The talk / tour lasts approx 25 mins, and is followed by a drink and Q&A (typically another 20-30 mins)

Age restrictions: 10+

Adult £15

Available dates

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Sat, 11 Jul 11:00 - 11:45
25 places left

How to get there

6 Dowry Square, Bristol, BS8 4SH

On the day

Wait outside the house at 6 Dowry Square, which is the house at the far left corner of the square with the large green door. Please try to arrive a few minutes before the tour begins. Please note that this tour involves stairs, and there are no toilet facilities available.

Changes happen, don't worry

How to change dates
Change of plans? You can easily rebook the next available slot up to 1 days before your experience.
How to get a refund
Can't make it? We understand things happen! You can cancel and get a full refund up to 1 days before your experience.
Please note that this refund policy does not apply to gift bookings. You may reschedule your gift if outside the time period stated above. Please note that Yuup gift cards are valid for redemption for 12 months, and if not redeemed by this date, you will get a Yuup credit added to your Yuup account equivalent to the unspent value of the Yuup gift card less a Yuup administration fee of 20%.

You'll be hosted by

Talks and tours

Historic talks, tours, lectures and salons at the historic site of the Pneumatic Institution in Bristol - the world's first medical research laboratory, home to the earliest experiments in photography, and the birthplace of western psychedelic science.

James

James is an antique dealer and publisher who owns and lives in Davy's House. His converging interests include Georgian buildings, neuroscience, metaphysics and psychedelics.

Any questions?

Ask your question directly to Talks and tours.

Available dates

Choose a slot to begin your booking
This is a gift
Choose a date later
Sat, 11 Jul 11:00 - 11:45
25 places left