Stephen Hawking's archive, office acquired for British public

Tim Hawking and Lucy Hawking look at a painting of their father Professor Stephen Hawking. Cambridge University Library has been given the paper archive of late British physicist Stephen Hawking, while London's Science Museum will receive the contents of his office, which curators plan to reconstruct as an exhibition. Photo: Reuters

The Cambridge University library and London’s Science Museum said recently they have acquired a large collection of items belonging to late physicist Stephen Hawking, from his personalised wheelchairs to landmark papers on theoretical physics and his scripts from his appearance on The Simpsons.

The entire contents of Hawking’s office at Cambridge - including his communications equipment, memorabilia, bets he made on scientific debates and office furniture - will be preserved as part of the collection belonging to the Science Museum Group.