London Attractions Familiar Attractions Natural History MuseumNatural History Museum - Kensington Gardens and High Street
The Natural History Museum is home to life and earth science specimens arranged in 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 Charles Darwin.
One of the most famous exhibits — affectionately known as Dippy — is a 105-foot (32 m) long replica Diplodocus skeleton, situated in the entrance hall. The cast was donated by the 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 crates, and on the 12th May 1905, the exhibit was unveiled, to great public and media interest.
Most importantly, The Natural History Museum is informative, free and 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 Whale, Elephants and a Rhinocerous to imprint your memory for life. Continue up Exhibition Road to Kensington Gardens where you can take in the grandiose Albert Memorial. The allegorical sculptures which are in two tiers at each corner represent the four corners of the globe: Africa, Europe, America and Asia. The other four, on a higher tier, represent agriculture, commerce, engineering and manufacturing.
Turning left (west) through the gardens leads to Kensington High Street, one of the West End's premier shopping districts. I'll leave you to wander at your own discretion, or you can jump to the shopping districts section on Kensington.
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: 020 7942 5000
