Natural History Museum, London
In 1753, the Ulster doctor Sir Hans Sloane bequeathed his vast collection to the British Government. A lottery funded the purchase of these items for a price well below their market value at that time. The collection included dried plants and animal skeletons alongside human remains. These early specimens first found a home within Montagu House in Bloomsbury during 1756. Most of the original Sloane collection had disappeared by the early decades of the nineteenth century. Dr George Shaw served as Keeper of Natural History from 1806 until 1813. He sold many specimens to the Royal College of Surgeons and ordered periodic cremations of material on museum grounds. An 1833 Annual Report noted that none of the 5,500 insects listed in the Sloane catalogue remained. Appointments of staff were often bedevilled by gentlemanly favouritism rather than scientific merit. In 1862, a nephew of the mistress of a Trustee was appointed Entomological Assistant despite not knowing the difference between a butterfly and a moth. J. E. Gray complained of mental illness amongst staff members during his tenure as Keeper of Zoology from 1840 to 1874. The Principal Librarian Antonio Panizzi held total contempt for the natural history departments and science in general. Sir Henry Ellis told a Select Committee of Parliament in 1835 that this policy was fully approved by senior colleagues.
Captain Francis Fowke won a design competition for the new museum building in 1864 with only thirty-three submissions received. He died shortly afterwards in December 1865 before construction could begin. Alfred Waterhouse took over the scheme in February 1866 and substantially revised the agreed plans. His idiosyncratic Romanesque style drew inspiration from frequent visits to the Continent. Work began on the structure in 1873 and was completed in 1880. The new museum opened its doors on the 18th of April 1881 though the move from the old site was not fully finished until 1883. Both interiors and exteriors make extensive use of architectural terracotta tiles manufactured by the Tamworth-based company Gibbs and Canning. These tiles resist the sooty atmosphere of Victorian London while featuring relief sculptures of flora and fauna. Living species appear within the west wing while extinct species occupy the east wing at Owen's request. A French sculptor named M Dujardin produced the sculptures from clay models based on drawings prepared by the architect. The central axis aligns with the tower of Imperial College London and the Royal Albert Hall further north.
The British Museum Act 1963 finally granted independence to what was then known as British Museum (Natural History). This legal separation occurred despite nearly one hundred years of heated discussions following a petition signed by naturalists including Darwin Wallace and Huxley in 1866. The former name remained attached to the institution even after gaining its own board of trustees. In 1989 the museum publicly re-branded itself as the Natural History Museum for general readers. Only with the Museums and Galleries Act 1992 did the formal title change to Natural History Museum officially. The Geological Museum merged with the main institution in 1985 after long competition for limited space in the area. James Gardner designed an earthquake machine that became world-famous alongside an active volcano model. The galleries were completely rebuilt and relaunched in 1996 as The Earth Galleries. Six iconic figures once served as backdrops discussing how previous generations viewed Earth before being removed to make place for a Stegosaurus skeleton displayed in late 2015.
Phase one of the Darwin Centre opened to the public in 2002 housing zoological spirit collections preserved in alcohol. Phase Two was unveiled in September 2008 and opened to the general public in September 2009. Danish architecture practice C. F. Møller Architects designed this second phase in the shape of a giant eight-story cocoon. It houses entomology and botanical collections known as dry collections within the structure. Members of the public can visit non-exhibited items for a fee by booking Spirit Collection Tours offered daily. An 8.62-metre-long giant squid named Archie resides in the basement tank room of Phase One. The specimen was taken alive near the Falkland Islands in 2004 and immediately frozen upon arrival at the museum. A 9.45-metre acrylic tank constructed by the team providing tanks to Damien Hirst holds the body preserved using formalin and saline solution. The Attenborough Studio forms an important part of Darwin Centre Phase Two offering multimedia environments for educational events. Free Nature Live talks occur regularly on Fridays Saturdays and Sundays within this facility.
A Diplodocus carnegii skeleton replica nicknamed Dippy dominated the central hall for many years before removal in early 2017. Andrew Carnegie paid £2,000 for the casting after discussions with King Edward VII then a keen trustee of the British Museum. Pieces were sent to London in 36 crates and unveiled on the 12th of May 1905 to great public interest. The dinosaur quickly became an iconic representation featured in cartoons including the 1975 Disney comedy One Of Our Dinosaurs Is Missing. Hope the blue whale skeleton replaced Dippy after being in storage for 42 years since its stranding on sandbanks at Wexford Harbour Ireland in March 1891. The display weighs 4.5 tonnes and measures some 25 metres long though exact dimensions vary across sources. Workmen left a trapdoor within the whale's stomach during construction which they used for surreptitious cigarette breaks. Coins and a telephone directory placed inside grew into an urban myth about a time capsule sealed forever. A BBC Television special narrated by David Attenborough documented the replacement process first broadcast on the 13th of July 2017.
The museum holds life and earth science specimens comprising some 80 million items within five main collections. These categories include botany entomology mineralogy palaeontology and zoology as distinct groupings. Charles Darwin collected many specimens that hold both historical and scientific value today. The Natural History Museum Library contains books journals manuscripts and artwork linked to departmental work with access by appointment only. In 2011 the museum led setting up of an International Union for Conservation of Nature Bumblebee Specialist Group chaired by Dr Paul H Williams. This group assesses threat status of bumblebee species worldwide using Red List criteria. The institution combines specialist expertise in taxonomy systematics biodiversity natural resources planetary science evolution and informatics to tackle scientific questions. Mary Anning discovered the first complete skeleton of a plesiosaur in 1823 while Joseph Anning found the first complete ichthyosaur skull in 1811. Sophie the Stegosaurus represents one of the most complete fossil skeletons ever discovered within the collection. Rare dodo bones reconstructed from remains over 1,000 years old remain part of the holdings alongside the Great Auk specimen collected in 1813.
The museum plays an important role in the 1975 London-based Disney live-action feature One Of Our Dinosaurs Is Missing. The eponymous skeleton is stolen from the museum while nannies hide inside the mouth of the blue whale model. The film is set in the 1920s before the blue whale model was built though it features scenes involving chases on the roof. The museum was featured in the 2006 music video for Friday Night by McFly shot with various handheld cameras. Band members appear as security guards running around London during the clip. Prodigium a secret society which studies and fights monsters uses the museum as a base appearing in multiple media formats. Millicent Clyde played by Nicole Kidman serves as a devious taxidermist at the museum in the 2014 film Paddington. Sky One broadcast David Attenborough's Natural History Museum Alive in 2014 bringing extinct creatures to life using CGI technology. Core Design launched Tomb Raider III at the museum on the 15th of October 1998 featuring Lud's Gate level prominently. Andy Day's CBeebies shows Andy's Dinosaur Adventures and Andy's Prehistoric Adventures are filmed entirely within the building.
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Common questions
When did the Natural History Museum London open to the public?
The museum opened its doors on the 18th of April 1881. The move from the old site was not fully finished until 1883.
Who designed the current building of the Natural History Museum London?
Alfred Waterhouse took over the scheme in February 1866 and substantially revised the agreed plans. He died shortly afterwards in December 1865 before construction could begin but his Romanesque style defined the structure completed in 1880.
What is the history of the blue whale skeleton at the Natural History Museum London?
Hope the blue whale skeleton replaced Dippy after being in storage for 42 years since its stranding on sandbanks at Wexford Harbour Ireland in March 1891. The display weighs 4.5 tonnes and measures some 25 metres long though exact dimensions vary across sources.
How many items does the Natural History Museum London hold in total?
The museum holds life and earth science specimens comprising some 80 million items within five main collections. These categories include botany entomology mineralogy palaeontology and zoology as distinct groupings.
When did the Natural History Museum London gain independence from the British Museum?
The British Museum Act 1963 finally granted independence to what was then known as British Museum (Natural History). This legal separation occurred despite nearly one hundred years of heated discussions following a petition signed by naturalists including Darwin Wallace and Huxley in 1866.