Top Reasons to Visit The Natural History Museum

Founded in 1881, the Natural History Museum throws up some mind-boggling numbers. Five million people visit it every year. It has more than 80 million specimens on show, spanning billion of years. From the history of the solar system to understanding how we can sustain our resources for the future, the Natural History Museum focuses on three themes – past, present and future.

80 million specimens

Where else can you come across such a vast collection of specimens? Four zones tell all: the blue zone (diversity of life on earth), green (the planet’s evolution and life forms), red zone (earth), and orange (Darwin Centre and Wildlife Garden).

Dinosaur Gallery

Located in the blue zone with its entrance on Cromwell Road, the Dinosaur Gallery is a must visit for anyone fascinated by these prehistoric giants. The scale of this exhibit is just awesome. The gallery displays the first Tyrannosaurus Rex fossil ever found, the skull of a triceratops, the Baryonyx – one of the largest carnivores ever unearthed in Europe – and many more. They also have a moving, roaring T. rex model.

Darwin Centre

Charles Darwin was probably the greatest biologist in history. His theory of evolution changed the way we understood the natural world. The centre has three sections – Cocoon, The Attenborough Studio and the Zoology spirit building. View millions of preserved butterfly, beetle and giant tarantula specimens among the assorted insects on display inside the Cocoon.

The Attenborough Studio is a new multimedia studio showing historic films and documentaries from the museum’s film archive. There are also talks with scientists and live shows.

The Zoology spirit building houses squid, shark and snake specimens in glass jars and tanks. It is the home of ‘Archie’, the museum’s giant squid. There is also a memorial in the courtyard to all those who lost their lives in the Indian Ocean tsunami of 2004.

After Hours, Dinosaur Shop and Museum Souvenirs

After Hours is a unique experience we highly recommend. You get to stroll through the exhibits at night, chat with scientists and enjoy some great food and drink. It’s organised once a month, and you must make a reservation.

You should also visit the souvenir shop. It stocks unique items such as 3D printed replicas of museum specimens, mineral pieces, Earth and Jupiter rings and more, as well as the more mundane key rings, mugs, pens, etc.

The museum wants to challenge the way people think about the natural world; to stimulate debate about our future and help people gain an understanding of science.

Address: Cromwell Road, London SW7 5BD  South Kensington, London  Website: www.nhm.ac.uk  Nearest tube station: South Kensington

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