Natural History Museum in London

[JamieLynn]

I realized how much I enjoy seeing the posts of "virtual trips to the museum" and rock shops and shows. I thought I'd do a more thorough post on my recent trip to the UK and the Natural History Musuem in London. It was so huge and amazing and wonderful, that although I did not quite get to explore it as much as i would have liked, I am thrilled i got to go. So here's a little tour to whet your appetite for travel (or just armchair travel, if that's your thing!) . Believe me, there is MUCH MUCH more to see than this little bit!

 

First of all - it IS a catheral! To science! 

     

 

Where the saints and angel figures would be are all animals, mythological, extinct and extant: 

 

And then the grand Hallway: 

 

 

 

And yes, it feels like you are in a Harry Potter movie: 

  with whales: 

 

Aside from the imposing whale, there are also these amazing creatures on the main floor: 

    

 

Turn into the first hallway and you enter the Hall of Marine Repties:

 

With the first articulated plesiosaur found by Mary Anning: 

 

More marine reptiles: 

 

SO many!! And these were just a FEW!

And then off a side hallway was a great fossil specimen display, I only took pics of a few, but here are some UK fossils

 

 

 

 

Then we wound our way down another maze like corridor and ran into these creatures (plus a few others not pictured here...): 

    

 

And then on to the Hall of Dinosaurs! : 

 

 

What is interesting is the dino skeletons are mostly elevated, so you are looking up at them, the lighting throwing interesting shadows. It's an odd choice for display, but I guess it means they don't have to put glass around each dino since it is out of reach of curious hands.....

 

A few were ground level: 

          

My favorite dino has always been Parasaurolophus (partly because it's just fun to say Parasaurolophus...)

 

And  I was happy to see this little guy ( Coelophysis) - one of the dinosarus found out at Ghost Ranch in New Mexico (if you are out there, go to the little museum onsite...it's very nice)

 

 

The next Hall was their "best of the best" treasury, in which was something I've wanted to see for a long time: the London Specimen Archaeopteryx: 

 

Last but not least was the Hall of Minerals - a massive hall full of cases of every mineral and rock in every from from all over the world. You could spend days in there alone: 

 

Just a few lovely items from there

: 

 

And this is one of only 7 Mars meteorites found on earth

: 

 

And thus concludes our visit to the musuem, I recommend a hot chocolate from the shop just down the street ( you can see the copper dome from their upstairs window) 

 

 

 

[FossilDAWG]

Thanks for the tour!  Amazing fossils!

Don

[Tidgy's Dad]

Wonderful. 

So many happy memories. 

I even remember when the Geological Museum and the Natural History Museum were separate buildings. 

Then someone knocked down the dividing wall. 

But I still miss Dippy. 

 

 

[Coco]

hi,

 

Thanks for the report. Nice memories for me.

 

Coco

[Pgigas]

Thanks for posting.  I was there this summer as well.  Fantastic place!!!

 

Don

[FossilNerd]

Great report! Thanks for sharing! There are a lot of great fossils, but that wall-o-marine reptiles is ridiculous (in a good way!) 

[JamieLynn]

37 minutes ago, FossilNerd said:

Great report! Thanks for sharing! There are a lot of great fossils, but that wall-o-marine reptiles is ridiculous (in a good way!) 

Isn't it though?? It's like one of those "family portrait walls" with all the pictures squeezed together!

[Ruger9a]

I enjoyed this very much, thanks.

[grandpa]

Thank you JL for the great tour.  And thanks also for the picts of the amazing architecture.  What a wonderful chance to see some sites I've never seen before, but that are definitely (now) on my bucket list.  It must have been a grand feeling to stand beneath those giant fossil specimens.

[Bobby Rico]

Nice report of a museum full of natural wonders . Thanks for sharing and bring back many fond memories.

I hope you don’t mind me adding a link here I thought you may like to see another collection the museum has.

 

 

[Masp]

I’m going back there soon. If anyone has had access to the Mary Anning “secret room collection,” would love to see any photos of specimens available, that is if they even allow you to take them.

[jpc]

A secret room?  Or just the collections room?

 

 

[paulyb135]

I love the natural history museum. Thanks for sharing

 

my favourite specimens have to be the megalosaurus tooth and Baryonyx skeleton there 

[Masp]

On 12/18/2019 at 11:30 PM, jpc said:

A secret room?  Or just the collections room?

 

 

From what I understand it’s literally a room you cannot access without a paid membership containing more of Mary Anning’s fossil collection. 

[Wrangellian]

I missed this until now. Thanks for the tour. I'll likely never make it there so this will have to do!

I've said it before, I love the architecture of the old European museums (and some eastern North American ones, for that matter), more than what we have here.

[JackSpinorex]

I'm still annoyed they got rid of dippy. It's a massive museum, can't you fit it in somewhere else? Or just have the Blue Whale above Dippy?

[Bobby Rico]

39 minutes ago, JackSpinorex said:

I'm still annoyed they got rid of dippy. It's a massive museum, can't you fit it in somewhere else? Or just have the Blue Whale above Dippy?

I am with you. Dippy is a national treasure, I hope he ends up been displayed some where in the U.K. 

[JamieLynn]

I would have loved to see DIppy! 

[RuMert]

One of the best museums in the world. Was there long ago, but still remember

[LordTrilobite]

Great photos!

[JamieLynn]

On 1/16/2020 at 1:59 AM, LordTrilobite said:

Great photos!

 

Thank you!! I love taking photos......almost as much as I love finding fossils! But not quite.... hahahah

[Shortbus4x4]

On 1/5/2020 at 4:56 PM, RuMert said:

One of the best museums in the world. Was there long ago, but still remember

I was there in 1983 when I was 10.  We liked it so much we spent two days there and still didn't see everything.  Hope to go back some day.