Address: Herstmonceux, Hailsham, BN27 1RN, United Kingdom
Phone: +441323832731
Rating: 4.6
based on 279 reviews.
Exhibits and Activities
Pros:
"The place as some verry good exibits like the mechanical soler system."
"Brilliant place that brings science to life with sensory activities for children (indoors and outdoors)."
"A brilliant place to bring the children as there are many hands-on working exhibits that teach about various scientific principles."
"Lots of interactive scientific things to do, which we all enjoy."
"Lots of brilliant hands-on discovery activities."
"Tonnes of well designed and thought provoking interactive exhibits."
"The many interactive exhibits are just brilliant."
Cons:
"The talks weren't brilliant."
"Disappointed that there was not a sky at night show on everyday, as this would have been the highlight of the visit."
"Some of three interactive things weren't working when we visited."
"I was a little disappointed by the Science Centre. Lots of hands on exhibits covering all aspects of science but I didn't find them very well explained."
"Went and lasted 20 minutes, expected it to have changed at least a bit but hasn’t changed in like 17 years."
"The exhibits look tired and dated and there were no guides around, or anyone for that matter!"
"Handfall off the things were not working witch was real shame."
Staff and Volunteers
Pros:
"All the staff we talked to were really friendly and informative."
"The staff are so generous with their knowledge and time."
"Workers are well informed and passionate about what they do, they're happy to chat and answer any questions."
"The people in charge of the telescopes are all friendly and approachable for answering questions."
"Staff at this observatory make it worth every penny spent."
"All the staff we interacted with were really helpful and friendly."
"Staff are super friendly and helpful."
Cons:
"The service was absolutely appalling, it wasn't that busy yet we were left waiting 40 mins for a couple of microwaved jacket potatoes."
"Only lost a star due to the cafe staff being rude and wholly uninterested"
"The customer service on the phone also left little to be desired. Polite, but patronising and irritating."
"Some of the practical experiments for the kids outside could have done with a member of staff around to keep an eye on some of the bigger kids that were running round bumping and shoving past the smaller kids."
"However the communication we have just had with the education department has been disgraceful."
"Observatory is not working anymore not working."
"Overflowing bins, toilet that abasloutly reek."
Facilities and Accessibility
Pros:
"Lovely little cafe that serves hot and cold food."
"The play areas look fantastic, the picnic areas welcoming."
"The grounds itself are nice to walk around."
"They have a reasonably priced cafe on site as well as toilets."
"Large car park."
"Disabled access isn't a problem."
"There is a large tent with tables and chairs for picnics and there is a small café with good food."
Cons:
"Also, there doesn’t seem to be any parking available on site unless you’re disabled."
"The weather was wonderful, we were going to see the castle together with the observatory, but it turned out that the observatory was closed, and tickets to the castle territory must be bought on the website in advance."
"The website clearly states in the covid section that it is open for food and drink but we got there just after 12pm expecting to at least get a Sandwich for lunch but they only had crisps, chocolate and snacks. No actual meals."
"Inside seating is maybe 6 tables at most and very cramped."
"Ladies toilets could do with a major revamp - 4 toilets for the whole site."
"Signage for the site is both lacking and confusing, with car parking being at the top of the site leaving you to navigate a muddy trail to reach a road with no pedestrian pavement."
"Needs more ramps for people with young children."
Value and Experience
Pros:
"Great if you are into the history of science, the old telescopes and observatories are fantastic."
"A whole day of fun and interesting activities to do for all the family."
"Fantastic day out."
"Great place for children to enjoy finding out how things work."
"The staff and team at the science centre are a real bunch of gems!"
"Not only do you get to look at the stars and learn about space, but you also get to learn hands-on science and discovery."
"Great place to visit for children and adults who are interested in science. Lots of exhibits to interact with covering all types of science."
Cons:
"I drove some distance to visit today having checked online and been informed that it would be open, only to find it completely closed."
"Good experience, but needs to be repainted on the exterior and is also rather expensive for something which is not an all day event."
"It's a shame that it was cloudy for the most part, but nothing they could do about that."
"I recommend the observatory at Greenwich London for a more quality experience."
"Only reason for not giving 5 stars is that they only fully demo the observatories rotating/opening etc on open evenings and not in their daily talk presentations."