The Natural History Museum (NHM) is one of London’s most iconic landmarks. It was another one on the travelling with a camera bucket list, that had been far too long coming. The museum:
- looks after over 80 million specimens
- spans billions of years
- welcomes more than five million visitors annually
- is free to visit!
The NHM first opened its doors on the on the 18/4/1881. Its history stretches back to 1753. The Romanesque architecture, both internally & externally is a sight to behold. A relatively unknown architect, Alfred Waterhouse, designed the building after Francis Fowke unexpectedly passed away.
You are welcomed in the beautiful Hintze Hall by an enormous blue whale, giraffe and Mastodon skeletons. The hall ceiling is particularly spectacular and displays 162 intricate tiles with plants from all over the world. Here you will also find statues of Charles Darwin and Alfred Russel Wallace. Both men’s life work was a huge contribution to the world.
You can found out lots more about the history of the NHM on their website – what you can see there and the additional exhibitions that are on offer (these are payable).
I couldn’t resist monkeying around photobombing a friend take a picture of London Zoos most famous ever resident of nearly 30 years. Guy The Gorilla sadly passed away in 1978 but lives on at the NHM.
