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60-636: BMNH may refer to: BMNH, the museum code the British Museum of Natural History , London used until the 1990s Beijing Museum of Natural History , in Beijing, China Biblical Museum of Natural History , in Beit Shemesh, Israel Topics referred to by the same term [REDACTED] This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the title BMNH . If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change

120-658: A French sculptor based in London, M Dujardin, working to drawings prepared by the architect. The central axis of the museum is aligned with the tower of Imperial College London (formerly the Imperial Institute) and the Royal Albert Hall and Albert Memorial further north. These all form part of the complex known colloquially as Albertopolis . Even after the opening, the Natural History Museum legally remained

180-511: A broad theme. This is the zone that can be entered from Exhibition Road, on the East side of the building. It is a gallery themed around the changing history of the Earth. Earth's Treasury shows specimens of rocks, minerals and gemstones behind glass in a dimly lit gallery. Lasting Impressions is a small gallery containing specimens of rocks, plants and minerals, of which most can be touched. This zone

240-619: A department of the British Museum with the formal name British Museum (Natural History) , usually abbreviated in the scientific literature as B.M.(N.H.) . A petition to the Chancellor of the Exchequer was made in 1866, signed by the heads of the Royal , Linnean and Zoological societies as well as naturalists including Darwin , Wallace and Huxley , asking that the museum gain independence from

300-429: A fee by booking onto one of the several Spirit Collection Tours offered daily. On arrival at the museum, the specimen was immediately frozen while preparations commenced for its permanent storage. Since few complete and reasonably fresh examples of the species exist, "wet storage" was chosen, leaving the squid undissected. A 9.45-metre acrylic tank was constructed (by the same team that provide tanks to Damien Hirst ), and

360-400: A giant gastropod shell , then a coprolite , and now a concretion of a worm's tunnel), has been part of the collection since its discovery in 1921. The museum keeps a wildlife garden on its west lawn, on which a potentially new species of insect resembling Arocatus roeselii was discovered in 2007. The museum is divided into four sets of galleries, or zones, each colour coded to follow

420-788: A highly praised "How Science Works" hands on workshop for school students demonstrating the use of microfossils in geological research. The museum also played a major role in securing designation of the Jurassic Coast of Devon and Dorset as a UNESCO World Heritage Site and has subsequently been a lead partner in the Lyme Regis Fossil Festivals. In 2005, the museum launched a project to develop notable gallery characters to patrol display cases, including 'facsimiles' of Carl Linnaeus , Mary Anning , Dorothea Bate and William Smith . They tell stories and anecdotes of their lives and discoveries and aim to surprise visitors. In 2010,

480-466: A nephew of the mistress of a Trustee was appointed Entomological Assistant despite not knowing the difference between a butterfly and a moth. J. E. Gray (Keeper of Zoology 1840–1874) complained of the incidence of mental illness amongst staff: George Shaw threatened to put his foot on any shell not in the 12th edition of Linnaeus ' Systema Naturae ; another had removed all the labels and registration numbers from entomological cases arranged by

540-688: A previously exempt charity had no principal regulator it would become subject to registration with, and regulation by, the Charity Commission. Although outside the jurisdiction of the Charity Commission, exempt charities are still subject to the usual legal rules applicable to charities in English law and to the general provisions of the Charities Acts, and may seek advice from the Charity Commission The following list (comprising schedule 3 to

600-415: A rival. The huge collection of the conchologist Hugh Cuming was acquired by the museum, and Gray's own wife had carried the open trays across the courtyard in a gale: all the labels blew away. That collection is said never to have recovered. The Principal Librarian at the time was Antonio Panizzi ; his contempt for the natural history departments and for science in general was total. The general public

660-604: A six-part BBC documentary series was filmed at the museum entitled Museum of Life exploring the history and behind the scenes aspects of the museum. Since May 2001, the Natural History Museum admission has been free for some events and permanent exhibitions. However, there are certain temporary exhibits and shows that require a fee. The Natural History museum combines the museum's life and earth science collections with specialist expertise in "taxonomy, systematics, biodiversity, natural resources, planetary science, evolution and informatics" to tackle scientific questions. In 2011,

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720-591: A tour of various British museums starting in 2018 and concluding in 2020 at Norwich Cathedral . The blue whale skeleton, Hope, that has replaced Dippy, is another prominent display in the museum. The display of the skeleton, some 82 feet (25 m) long and weighing 4.5 tonnes, was only made possible in 1934 with the building of the New Whale Hall (now the Mammals (blue whale model) gallery ). The whale had been in storage for 42 years since its stranding on sandbanks at

780-404: Is a 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 . The museum is particularly famous for its exhibition of dinosaur skeletons and ornate architecture—sometimes dubbed a cathedral of nature —both exemplified by

840-688: Is a museum that exhibits a vast range of specimens from various segments of natural history . It is one of three major museums on Exhibition Road in South Kensington , the others being the Science Museum and the Victoria and Albert Museum . The Natural History Museum's main frontage, however, is on Cromwell Road . The museum is home to life and earth science specimens comprising some 80 million items within five main collections: botany , entomology , mineralogy , palaeontology and zoology . The museum

900-583: Is a patron of the museum. There are approximately 850 staff at the museum. The two largest strategic groups are the Public Engagement Group and Science Group. The foundation of the collection was that of the Ulster doctor Sir Hans Sloane (1660–1753), who allowed his significant collections to be purchased by the British Government at a price well below their market value at the time. This purchase

960-553: Is accessed from the Cromwell Road entrance via the Hintze Hall and follows the theme of the evolution of the planet. To the left of the Hintze Hall, this zone explores the diversity of life on the planet. Enables the public to see science at work and also provides spaces for relaxation and contemplation. Accessible from Queens Gate. The museum runs a series of educational and public engagement programmes. These include for example

1020-452: Is an English higher education corporation if the activities of the institution conducted by that corporation are carried on, or principally carried on, in England. 6(1) A successor company to a higher education corporation at a time when the institution conducted by the company is eligible, by virtue of an order made under section 129 of the 1988 Act, to receive support from funds administered by

1080-517: Is possible for members of the public to visit and view non-exhibited items for a fee by booking onto one of the several Spirit Collection Tours offered daily. Arguably the most famous creature in the centre is the 8.62-metre-long giant squid , affectionately named Archie. As part of the museum's remit to communicate science education and conservation work, a new multimedia studio forms an important part of Darwin Centre Phase 2. In collaboration with

1140-489: Is stolen from the museum, and a group of intrepid nannies hide inside the mouth of the museum's blue whale model (in fact a specially created prop – the nannies peer out from behind the whale's teeth, but a blue whale is a baleen whale and has no teeth). Additionally, the film is set in the 1920s, before the blue whale model was built. The museum features as a base for Prodigium, a secret society which studies and fights monsters, first appearing on The Mummy . In

1200-523: The BBC's Natural History Unit (holder of the largest archive of natural history footage) the Attenborough Studio—named after the broadcaster Sir David Attenborough —provides a multimedia environment for educational events. The studio holds regular lectures and demonstrations, including free Nature Live talks on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. One of the most famous and certainly most prominent of

1260-470: The Charities Act 2011 . Historically, they were treated as exempt from supervision because they were considered to be adequately supervised by, or accountable to, some other body or authority, such as Parliament. However this supervision was not always formalised, and the Charities Act 2006 (which was consolidated into the 2011 act) introduced the idea of "principal regulator" for exempt charities. Where

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1320-648: The Geological Museum . The Darwin Centre is a more recent addition, partly designed as a modern facility for storing the valuable collections. Like other publicly funded national museums in the United Kingdom, the Natural History Museum does not charge an admission fee. The museum is an exempt charity and a non-departmental public body sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport . The Princess of Wales

1380-532: The 2014 film Paddington , Millicent Clyde is a devious and treacherous taxidermist at the museum. She kidnaps Paddington, intending to kill and stuff him, but is thwarted by the Brown family after scenes involving chases inside and on the roof of the building. The museum was prominently featured in the Sky One 2014 documentary David Attenborough's Natural History Museum Alive where several extinct creatures exhibited at

1440-607: The Charities Act 2011 ) lists institutions both by name and by generic type as exempt charities: Institutions with an exemption from the Charitable Trusts Acts 1853 to 1939 1(1) Any institution which, if the Charities Act 1960 had not been passed, would be exempted from the powers and jurisdiction, under the Charitable Trusts Acts 1853 to 1939, of— (a) the Charity Commissioners for England and Wales, or (b)

1500-605: The Church Funds Investment Measure 1958, (b) any investment fund or deposit fund within the meaning of the Methodist Church Funds Act 1960, or (c) the representative body of the Welsh Church or property administered by it. Educational institutions 2 The universities of Oxford, Cambridge, London, Durham, Newcastle and Manchester. 3 King’s College London and Queen Mary and Westfield College in

1560-700: The Higher Education Funding Council for England. (2) In this paragraph “the 1988 Act” means the Education Reform Act 1988 and “successor company to a higher education corporation” has the meaning given by section 129(5) of the 1988 Act. 7A further education corporation. 8A qualifying Academy proprietor (as defined in section 12(2) of the Academies Act 2010). 9 The governing body of any foundation, voluntary or foundation special school. 10 Any foundation body established under section 21 of

1620-569: The Minister of Education,(apart from any power of the Commissioners or Minister to apply those Acts in whole or in part to charities otherwise exempt) by the terms of any enactment not contained in the Charitable Trusts Acts 1853 to 1939 other than section 9 of the Places of Worship Registration Act 1855. (2) Sub-paragraph (1) does not include— (a) any Investment Fund or Deposit Fund within the meaning of

1680-785: The National Museums and Galleries on Merseyside. 17 The trustees of the British Museum. 18 The trustees of the Natural History Museum. 19 The Board of Trustees of the National Gallery. 20 The Board of Trustees of the Tate Gallery. 21 The Board of Trustees of the National Portrait Gallery. 22 The Board of Trustees of the Wallace Collection. 23 The Trustees of the Imperial War Museum. 24 The Trustees of

1740-594: The Natural History Museum an institution for everyone, Owen transformed our expectations of what museums are for". Owen saw that the natural history departments needed more space, and that implied 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 the civil engineer Captain Francis Fowke , who died shortly afterwards. The scheme

1800-579: The Natural History Museum and stopped using the title British Museum (Natural History) on its advertising and its books for general readers. Only with the Museums and Galleries Act 1992 did the museum's formal title finally change to the Natural History Museum . In 1985, the museum merged with the adjacent Geological Museum of the British Geological Survey , which had long competed for

1860-758: The School Standards and Framework Act 1998. 11A sixth form college corporation (within the meaning of the Further and Higher Education Act 1992). Museums, galleries etc. 12 The Board of Trustees of the Victoria and Albert Museum. 13 The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum. 14 The Board of Trustees of the Armouries. 15 The Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. 16 The Board of Trustees of

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1920-554: The University of London. 4(1) Any of the following, if Her Majesty declares it by Order in Council to be an exempt charity for the purposes of this Act— (a) a university in England, (b) a university college in England, or (c) an institution which is connected with a university in England or a university college in England. (2) Sub-paragraph (1) does not include— (a) any college in the university of Oxford; (b) any college or hall in

1980-480: The Waterhouse building retitled The Life Galleries . The Natural History Museum's own mineralogy displays remain largely unchanged as an example of the 19th-century display techniques of the Waterhouse building. The central atrium design by Neal Potter overcame visitors' reluctance to visit the upper galleries by "pulling" them through a model of the Earth made up of random plates on an escalator. The new design covered

2040-530: The board of the British Museum, and heated discussions on the matter continued for nearly one hundred years. Finally, with the passing of the British Museum Act 1963 , the British Museum (Natural History) became an independent museum with its own board of trustees, although – despite a proposed amendment to the act in the House of Lords – the former name was retained. In 1989 the museum publicly re-branded itself as

2100-485: The body preserved using a mixture of formalin and saline solution . The museum holds the remains and bones of the " River Thames whale ", a northern bottlenose whale that lost its way on 20 January 2006 and swam into the Thames. Although primarily used for research purposes, and held at the museum's storage site at Wandsworth . Dinocochlea , one of the longer-standing mysteries of paleontology (originally thought to be

2160-710: The casting, copying the original held at the Carnegie Museum of Natural History . The pieces were sent to London in 36 crates, and on 12 May 1905, the exhibit was unveiled to great public and media interest. The real fossil had yet to be mounted, as the Carnegie Museum in Pittsburgh was still being constructed to house it. As word of Dippy spread, Mr Carnegie paid to have additional copies made for display in most major European capitals and in Central and South America, making Dippy

2220-512: The day before Hope was unveiled for public display. The Darwin Centre is host to Archie , an 8.62-metre-long giant squid taken alive in a fishing net near the Falkland Islands in 2004. The squid is not on general display, but stored in the large tank room in the basement of the Phase 1 building. It is possible for members of the public to visit and view non-exhibited items behind the scenes for

2280-465: The exhibits—nicknamed " Dippy "—is a 105-foot (32 m)-long replica of a Diplodocus carnegii skeleton which was on display for many years within the central hall. The cast was given as a gift by the Scottish-American industrialist Andrew Carnegie , after a discussion with King Edward VII , then a keen trustee of the British Museum. Carnegie paid £2,000 (equivalent to £272,185 in 2023) for

2340-636: The grounds of the museum. His successors also applied to the trustees for permission to destroy decayed specimens. In 1833, the Annual Report states that, of the 5,500 insects listed in the Sloane catalogue, none remained. The inability of the natural history departments to conserve its specimens became notorious: the Treasury refused to entrust it with specimens collected at the government's expense. Appointments of staff were bedevilled by gentlemanly favouritism; in 1862

2400-415: The large Diplodocus cast that dominated the vaulted central hall before it was replaced in 2017 with the skeleton of a blue whale hanging from the ceiling . The Natural History Museum Library contains an extensive collection of books, journals, manuscripts, and artwork linked to the work and research of the scientific departments; access to the library is by appointment only. The museum is recognised as

2460-399: The limited space available in the area. The Geological Museum became world-famous for exhibitions including an active volcano model and an earthquake machine (designed by James Gardner), and housed the world's first computer-enhanced exhibition ( Treasures of the Earth ). The museum's galleries were completely rebuilt and relaunched in 1996 as The Earth Galleries , with the other exhibitions in

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2520-467: The link to point directly to the intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=BMNH&oldid=1245184383 " Category : Disambiguation pages Hidden categories: Short description is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages British Museum of Natural History The Natural History Museum in London

2580-448: The most-viewed dinosaur skeleton in the world. The dinosaur quickly became an iconic representation of the museum, and has featured in many cartoons and other media, including the 1975 Disney comedy One of Our Dinosaurs Is Missing . After 112 years on display at the museum, the dinosaur replica was removed in early 2017 to be replaced by the actual skeleton of a young blue whale , a 128-year-old skeleton nicknamed " Hope ". Dippy went on

2640-622: The mouth of Wexford Harbour , Ireland in March 1891 after being injured by whalers. At this time, it was first displayed in the Mammals (blue whale model) gallery, but now takes pride of place in the museum's Hintze Hall. Discussion of the idea of a life-sized model also began around 1934, and work was undertaken within the Whale Hall itself. Since taking a cast of such a large animal was deemed prohibitively expensive, scale models were used to meticulously piece

2700-463: The museum including Dippy the Diplodocus were brought to life using CGI . The museum features prominently in the level Lud's Gate from Tomb Raider III , with Core Design launching the game with Jonathan Ross at the museum on 15 October 1998. Andy Day 's CBeebies shows, Andy's Dinosaur Adventures and Andy's Prehistoric Adventures are filmed in the Natural History Museum. The museum

2760-468: The museum is free, though there are donation boxes in the foyer. Museum Lane immediately to the north provides disabled access to the museum. A connecting bridge between the Natural History and Science museums closed to the public in the late 1990s. The museum plays an important role in the 1975 London-based Disney live-action feature One of Our Dinosaurs Is Missing ; the eponymous skeleton

2820-409: The museum led the setting up of an International Union for Conservation of Nature Bumblebee Specialist Group, chaired by Dr. Paul H. Williams, to assess the threat status of bumblebee species worldwide using Red List criteria. The closest London Underground station is South Kensington — there is a tunnel from the station that emerges close to the entrances of all three museums. Admission to

2880-440: The pre-eminent centre of natural history and research of related fields in the world. Although commonly referred to as the Natural History Museum, it was officially known as British Museum (Natural History) until 1992, despite legal separation from the British Museum itself in 1963. Originating from collections within the British Museum, the landmark Alfred Waterhouse building was built and opened by 1881 and later incorporated

2940-519: The public in 2002, and it houses the zoological department's 'spirit collections'—organisms preserved in alcohol . Phase Two was unveiled in September 2008 and opened to the general public in September 2009. It was designed by the Danish architecture practice C. F. Møller Architects in the shape of a giant, eight-story cocoon and houses the entomology and botanical collections—the 'dry collections'. It

3000-418: The structure together. During construction, workmen left a trapdoor within the whale's stomach, which they would use for surreptitious cigarette breaks. Before the door was closed and sealed forever, some coins and a telephone directory were placed inside—this soon growing to an urban myth that a time capsule was left inside. The work was completed—entirely within the hall and in view of the public—in 1938. At

3060-471: The time it was the largest such model in the world, at 92 feet (28 m) in length. The construction details were later borrowed by several American museums, who scaled the plans further. The work involved in removing Dippy and replacing it with Hope was documented in a BBC Television special, Horizon : Dippy and the Whale , narrated by David Attenborough , which was first broadcast on BBC Two on 13 July 2017,

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3120-484: The university of Cambridge or Durham; (c) any students’ union. (3) For the purposes of this paragraph— (a) a university or university college is in England if its activities are carried on, or principally carried on, in England; (b) the Open University is to be treated as a university in England. 5(1) An English higher education corporation. (2) For the purposes of this paragraph a higher education corporation

3180-412: The walls in recycled slate and sandblasted the major stars and planets onto the wall. The museum's 'star' geological exhibits are displayed within the walls. Six iconic figures were the backdrop to discussing how previous generations have viewed Earth. These were later removed to make place for a Stegosaurus skeleton that was put on display in late 2015. The Darwin Centre (named after Charles Darwin )

3240-435: The west and east wings respectively. This explicit separation was at the request of Owen, and has been seen as a statement of his contemporary rebuttal of Darwin's attempt to link present species with past through the theory of natural selection . Though Waterhouse slipped in a few anomalies, such as bats amongst the extinct animals and a fossil ammonite with the living species. The sculptures were produced from clay models by

3300-552: Was completed in 1880. The new museum opened on 18 April 1881, although the move from the old museum was not fully completed until 1883. Both the interiors and exteriors of the Waterhouse building make extensive use of architectural terracotta tiles to resist the sooty atmosphere of Victorian London, manufactured by the Tamworth-based company of Gibbs and Canning . The tiles and bricks feature many relief sculptures of flora and fauna, with living and extinct species featured within

3360-470: Was designed as a new home for the museum's collection of tens of millions of preserved specimens, as well as new work spaces for the museum's scientific staff and new educational visitor experiences. Built in two distinct phases, with two new buildings adjacent to the main Waterhouse building, it is the most significant new development project in the museum's history. Phase one of the Darwin Centre opened to

3420-575: Was funded by a lottery. Sloane's collection, which included dried plants, and animal and human skeletons, was initially housed in Montagu House, Bloomsbury , in 1756, which was the home of the British Museum . Most of the Sloane collection had disappeared by the early decades of the nineteenth century. Dr George Shaw (Keeper of Natural History 1806–1813) sold many specimens to the Royal College of Surgeons and had periodic cremations of material in

3480-507: Was not encouraged to visit the museum's natural history exhibits. In 1835 to a Select Committee of Parliament, Sir Henry Ellis said this policy was fully approved by the Principal Librarian and his senior colleagues. Many of these faults were corrected by the palaeontologist Richard Owen , appointed Superintendent of the natural history departments of the British Museum in 1856. His changes led Bill Bryson to write that "by making

3540-474: Was site of the first Pit Stop on The Amazing Race 33 . The Museum is featured in the fifth episode of the Apple TV+ period drama The Essex Serpent . Exempt charity Exempt charities are largely institutions of further and higher education, universities, industrial and provident societies , friendly societies , or national museums, that were established by act of Parliament or by royal charter. These organisations are specified in schedule 3 to

3600-456: Was taken over by Alfred Waterhouse who substantially revised the agreed plans, and designed the façades in his own idiosyncratic Romanesque style which was inspired by his frequent visits to the Continent. The original plans included wings on either side of the main building, but these plans were soon abandoned for budgetary reasons. The space these would have occupied are now taken by the Earth Galleries and Darwin Centre. Work began in 1873 and

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