Return of historic museum pendulum

Foucault’s Pendulum will be put back in its usual place at the Harris Museum and Art Gallery after being removed from the building in July early this year.

The pendulum hangs from a 120 foot cable attached to the museum’s roof, swinging to and fro less than a foot off of the ground.

Concerns earlier this year that the cable was no longer safe resulted in it being temporarily removed for necessary repairs.

Preston City Council confirmed that its reinstatement will take place on Monday September 25, provided there are no unexpected complications.

Director of Customer Services for Preston City Council, Neil Fairhurst, said: “Foucault’s Pendulum is a well-loved piece, at the heart of the Harris and its recent absence has been notable.

“It has taken time to source the best solution, enabling us to reinstall it and protect it for the future. This has now been booked and we hope to have it back where it belongs the final week of September.”The original Foucault’s Pendulum was designed by French physicist Leon Foucault, who invented the device in 1851 as an experiment to demonstrate the natural rotation of the Earth.

Foucault suspended a 28 kilogram brass-coated lead bob from a 67 metre wire hanging from the dome of the Panthéon in Paris.

Opening hours for the Harris Museum vary between 10am and 8pm, depending on the day.