Natural History Museum of London – London, England - Atlas Obscura
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Natural History Museum of London

London, England

Eighty million natural history specimens call this gargantuan museum home. 

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Swinging monkey skeletons Allison (Atlas Obscura User)
Dramatic entrance to the Earth Galleries Allison (Atlas Obscura User)
A hunter remembered Allison (Atlas Obscura User)
Statue of Darwin Allison (Atlas Obscura User)
Monkey carved on a banister Allison (Atlas Obscura User)
A carved dodo bird on the wall of the museum Allison (Atlas Obscura User)
The Cursed Amethyst Allison (Atlas Obscura User)
A fearsome taxidermy specimen of a Tasmanian devil Monsieur Mictlan (Atlas Obscura User)
Heads of extinct Hawaiian huia birds Monsieur Mictlan (Atlas Obscura User)
A ferocious Tasmanian devil taxidermy specimen. Monsieur Mictlan (Atlas Obscura User)
Realistic recreation of an extinct dodo Monsieur Mictlan (Atlas Obscura User)
2017-The entrance to the earth galleries is now part of a spectacular lighting effect. Dr Alan P Newman (Atlas Obscura User)
Kiwi taxidermy specimen Monsieur Mictlan (Atlas Obscura User)
Brazilian three banded armadillo taxidermy Monsieur Mictlan (Atlas Obscura User)
Taxidermy specimen of an extinct Carolina parakeet Monsieur Mictlan (Atlas Obscura User)
Taxidermy specimen of an extinct great auk Monsieur Mictlan (Atlas Obscura User)
Pop up conservation studio with the blue whale jaw bones on display ariadnemaze (Atlas Obscura User)
The annual ice rink outside the museum ariadnemaze (Atlas Obscura User)
Queue to enter during peak summer tourist season ariadnemaze (Atlas Obscura User)
Hornbill beak , part of the avian evolution display Monsieur Mictlan (Atlas Obscura User)
Taxidermy owl heads , part of the avian evolution display Monsieur Mictlan (Atlas Obscura User)
Close up of an Ethiopian wolf taxidermy specimen Monsieur Mictlan (Atlas Obscura User)
Front facade - one of the most recognisable buildings in London petrahudson (Atlas Obscura User)
Lots of cleverly done displays petrahudson (Atlas Obscura User)
Some unusual critters to be seen. petrahudson (Atlas Obscura User)
The annual Christmas extravaganza petrahudson (Atlas Obscura User)
Koala and tree kangaroo Monsieur Mictlan (Atlas Obscura User)
Snake in the spirit collection Monsieur Mictlan (Atlas Obscura User)
A Malayan tapir taxidermy specimen Monsieur Mictlan (Atlas Obscura User)
African elephant taxidermy specimen Monsieur Mictlan (Atlas Obscura User)
2019 exhibition "Museum of the moon" Monsieur Mictlan (Atlas Obscura User)
An extremely rare taxidermy specimen of an endangered Javan rhinoceros Monsieur Mictlan (Atlas Obscura User)
A Papua new Guinean Cuscus and an Australian oppossum , strange marsupials Monsieur Mictlan (Atlas Obscura User)
Skeleton of a giant ground sloth , a gargantuan Prehistoric beast Monsieur Mictlan (Atlas Obscura User)
Rhinos in the mammal hall : Black rhino on the left and Sumatran rhino on right Monsieur Mictlan (Atlas Obscura User)
A Tamandua anteater taxidermy specimen Monsieur Mictlan (Atlas Obscura User)
View of African elephant taxidermy and view of the mammal hall Monsieur Mictlan (Atlas Obscura User)
A fruit bat (also known as a flying fox) taxidermy specimen Monsieur Mictlan (Atlas Obscura User)
A miniature sting ray in the spirit collection Monsieur Mictlan (Atlas Obscura User)
A jar full of long dead midwife toads Monsieur Mictlan (Atlas Obscura User)
A 1759 painting of the extinct dodo and (still surviving) macaws Monsieur Mictlan (Atlas Obscura User)
A long dead tree frog in the spirit collection Monsieur Mictlan (Atlas Obscura User)
Upside down African agama lizard in the spirit collection Monsieur Mictlan (Atlas Obscura User)
The skeleton of a blue whale hangs from the ceiling in the main hall. Kerry Wolfe (Atlas Obscura User)
Hall of Minerals Allison (Atlas Obscura User)
Natural History Museum of Londo Xavixavir (Atlas Obscura User)
Taxidermy animals and a whale skeleton Allison (Atlas Obscura User)
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Established in 1881, the Natural History Museum of London has an impressive 70 million specimens in its stately walls.

Based on the collection of Sir Hans Sloane, the museum now includes such star wonders as Archie the Giant Squid who resides in the Darwin Centre Spirit Collection of jarred specimens (Archie can’t be in the main museum as its weight would cause it to crash through the floor), as well as a cursed amethyst and a piece of Kryptonite. Some of the specimens were even collected by Charles Darwin himself, a statue of whom sits in the main hall near a replica of a Diplodocus donated by Andrew Carnegie. 

The building was constructed with terracotta tiles in order to resist the soot in the air of Victorian London, with the west wing and the east wing are adorned with images of living and extinct species, respectively. However, you may note a coelacanth in the extinct animals wing, as it was of course only recently that ancient fish was revealed to still be living on our planet. 

In 2015 it was controversially announced that the popular diplodocus skeleton in the main hall (it can be seen in one of the photos) would be removed on the grounds that it was not a genuine skeleton. This resulted in a well supported “save Dippy” campaign, but the decision stands to give pride of place to the real skeleton of a blue whale. 

As such, in 2017, a blue whale skeleton was hung from the ceiling. The sea creature, which had been injured by whalers, was found beached in Ireland in 1891.

The museum is also a fully functional laboratory, with more than 300 scientists working in a variety of fields related to biology & geology. Taking a behind the scenes tour or visiting the newly renovated Darwin Centre Cocoon you can see them at work. The building also contains a massive research archive, library, and operational labs.

Know Before You Go

The Queen's Gate entrance is best for visiting Dinosaurs, and the Exhibition Road entrance is best for Wildlife Photographer of the Year and Volcanoes and Earthquakes.


The Natural History Museum organizes "Lates" with talks/lectures, exhibitions, and visitors being able to visit the galleries after dark, making for an atmospheric experience.

dodos extinct animals natural history museums natural history museums and collections museums
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