Age of Revolution Home Page - Age of Revolution

Courtesy of the SS Great Britain Trust - A lithograph print of a painting showing the launch of the SS Great Britain steamship. Huge crowds can be seen gathered to watch the ship being launched into Bristol's floating harbour.

From campaigns for equality, rights and freedoms, to life-changing discoveries and innovations, the Age of Revolution shaped the modern world.

This website is designed specially for teachers – and all those curious to find out more about our revolutionary past – bringing learning to life through museum and gallery collections from across the UK.

Use our Revolutionary collection of intriguing objects and artworks to bring classroom topics to life. High quality images of each item can be projected onto whiteboards, viewed on tablets, printed or added to your own presentations and other classroom resources.

Our Guides and Activities offer useful ideas and tips for using the Revolutionary collection to support teaching and learning across the curriculum, with a particular focus on Historical enquiry, Critical thinking and Creativity.

If you’d like to go a bit deeper, try one of our Historical enquiries or Digital Making projects, or order our free Peterloo Graphic novel.

All our materials and resources are FREE and are authored by education specialists and historians.

Tell us how you’re using these resources via Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram!

A portrait of a tall-ship being tugged into a harbour by a small steam ship at sunset.

Revolutionary collection

Delve into our online gallery of over 100 revolutionary objects, from the first passenger train to the grisly guillotine, carefully selected from museums and galleries across the UK.

Revolutionary themes

Explore the extraordinary people, ideas and events of the Age of Revolution through our four key themes.

A colour print of a large hot air balloon, the balloon is blue and decorated with gold faces, cherubs, lions and eagles.

In the Classroom

Choose from our range of tried-and-tested historical enquiries, creative challenges, activities and ideas, to bring learning to life across the curriculum, for all ages

A colour print of a large hot air balloon, the balloon is blue and decorated with gold faces, cherubs, lions and eagles.

In the Classroom: age 5 – 7

A black and white print showing a textile factory with a large loom. Child workers can be seen in the foreground in tattered clothing.

In the Classroom: age 7 – 11

a colour print in caricature of men in blue uniforms on horseback striking a crowd with sabres

In the Classroom: age 11 – 14

In the Classroom: GCSE & A level

The Age of Revolution Timeline

Journey through 70 years of extraordinary, people, ideas, events and fascinating objects with the Age of Revolution timeline.

Billy Waters: Songs from the Shadows

Out forthcoming resource consists of a brand-new 20-page graphic novel and accompanying digital soundscape.

a chloroform inhaler - a glass jar containing pieces of natural sponge with tube and facemask attached

Medicine in the Age of Revolution: Part One

What factors drove change in medical practice during the Age of Revolution?

Laennec stethoscope made by Laennec, c.1820. Front 3/4 view of whole object against graduated grey background

Medicine in the Age of Revolution: Part Two

Was change in medical practice revolutionary or evolutionary during the Age of Revolution?

Events