The Natural History Museum is home to life and earth science specimens comprising some 70 million items within five main collections: Botany, Entomology, Mineralogy, Palaeontology and Zoology. The museum is a world-renowned centre of research, specialising in taxonomy, identification and conservation. Given the age of the institution, many of the collections have great historical as well as scientific value, such as specimens collected by Darwin.

Originating from collections within the British Museum, the Alfred Waterhouse building was built and opened by 1881, and later incorporated the Geological Museum. The Darwin Centre is a more recent addition, partly designed as a modern facility for storing the valuable collections.

Richard Owen was appointed Superintendent of the natural history departments of the British Museum in 1856. He set about formalising and controlling the classification of collections after earlier carelessness and blunders resulted in losses of both specimens and  accompanying notation.

Owen saw that the natural history departments needed more space, and that suggested a separate building, as the British Museum site was limited. Land in South Kensington was purchased, and in 1864 a competition was held to design the new museum. The winning entry was submitted by Captain Francis Fowke who died shortly afterwards. The scheme was taken over by Alfred Waterhouse who substantially revised the agreed plans, and designed the façades in his own Romanesque style.

Work began in 1873 and was completed in 1880. The new museum opened in 1881, although the move from the old museum was not fully completed until 1883.

One of the most famous exhibits — affectionately known as Dippy — is a 105-foot (32 m) long replica Diplodocus skeleton, in the central hall. The cast was given as a gift by the American industrialist Andrew Carnegie, after a discussion with King Edward VII, then a keen trustee of the British Museum. Carnegie arranged for the cast to be created, copying the original held at the Carnegie Museum. The pieces were sent to London in 36 crates, and on the 12th May 1905, the exhibit was unveiled, to great public and media interest.

Most importantly, it's informative, free and very child-friendly. It's as good now as when I first saw it as a child and there's nothing quite like seeing a full-size Blue Whale to imprint your memory for life. The Natural History Museum is an essential stop with the added benefit of being next door to the Science Museum and over the road from the Victoria and Albert.

The Natural History Museum is open every day (except 24–26 December) from 10:00. Last entry is at 17:30 and the Museum closes at 17:50.

Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, London, SW7 5BD

South Kensington Tube.

Call:    +44 (0)20 7942 5000

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