2018-05 - Natural History Museum (London, UK)

Mantellisaurus in Hintze Hall

There was already a line by the time I arrived at the Natural History Museum, pre-opening hour. Within ten minutes, the doors had opened; and, we quickly filed in. It's important to remember not to be distracted by the shiny new displays when entering the museum. The key collections are the dinosaurs and the collections of dead, stuffed animals.

Ichthyosaur fossil discovered by Mary Anning in 1832

However, I got distracted by the collection of fossilized skeletons of ichthyosaurs and pliosaurs along one of the hallways. Many of them had been discovered in Great Britain by Mary Anning in the first half of the 1800s. Her ichthyosaur is on display on the wall. The other giant sea fossils are this wall include a mosasaur.

Blue whale skeleton in Great Hall

To get to the dinosaurs, first you'll need to go through Hintze Hall, which is a grand open space. From the ceiling hangs the skeleton of a blue whale. Along the sides of the hall, there are fossils and stuffed animals that give you an idea of how many different specimens are in the museum.  It is a great introduction to the museum; and, there is an entrance directly into this hall. Which explains how I didn't realize how quickly the museum was filling up.

Giant deer from ~20,000 years ago

Another detour led me to the rooms of fossils and stuffed mammals. There are so many different species gathered in these rooms! Definitely a good place to take kids to see these animals up close. Giant deer, pygmy hippopatamus, camels, echidnas, embrithopods, and bears plus a host of many more animals.

Fossilized skin of an Edmontosaurus

With a sense of urgency, I bee-lined for the dinosaurs. But, it was too late. The galleries were packed with families and school groups. Even so, the fossils are very nicely displayed. The larger skeletons sit on the floor and stretch to the ceiling. The smaller fossil skeletons hang at or above adult head level. Therefore, it was possible (at least as a grown-up) to see and read about most of the dinosaurs. There were even some dinosaurs that I'd never heard of, such as the Albertosaurus, a slightly smaller dinosaur similar to the Tyrannosaurus Rex. Plus, there was a cast of part of the skin of Edmontosaurus!


Visiting the Museum:
The Natural History Museum is free and open to the public daily from 10 am - 5:50 pm except December 24-26. Map of the museum