During an introductory tour of the new gallery, The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh listened intently to personal recollections of people whose first experience of television was watching the Coronation in 1953.  These audio histories form part of The Broadcast section of the gallery and reveal the significance of this first moment of mass television entertainment.

Information Age: Six Networks That Changed Our World explores the remarkable technological breakthroughs that have transformed how we communicate over the last 200 years.  From the first transatlantic telegraph cable that connected Europe and North America in minutes rather than weeks, to the advanced computing power of the modern smartphone, Information Age will look at the huge impact of developments in communication technology on all our lives.

Ian Blatchford, Director of the Science Museum, said: “Behind each of the 800 plus objects in Information Age is a fascinating story that helps us all understand more about the connected world we live in today. “

The gallery has been funded through an innovative financial package balanced between public and private donors, including a major grant of £6m from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) and further support from commercial companies such as BT, Bloomberg Philanthropies and Google.

HLF CEO Carole Souter welcomed today’s opening of the gallery and reminded people of the role the National Lottery has played in its creation: “Thanks to Lottery players we were able to award over £6m to help the Science Museum create the ground-breaking Information Age Gallery. This is an essential destination for visitors who want to learn more about our rapidly changing world.”

British businesswoman and philanthropist Baroness Martha Lane Fox has been championing the Science Museum’s vision for this new communications gallery: “It reminds me of the extraordinary ambition of so much of the UK’s past - from laying the transatlantic telegraph cable, to the invention of the World Wide Web. It therefore throws down the gauntlet for the future and provides fabulous inspiration.”