What is the Natural History Museum in London?
The Natural History Museum in London is a world-famous museum of natural science, known for its dinosaur skeletons, blue whale skeleton and grand Victorian building. It holds about 80 million specimens.
The museum opened in 1881 in South Kensington. Its building, designed by Alfred Waterhouse, is decorated with carvings of animals and plants, earning it the nickname a cathedral to nature.
The collection began as part of the British Museum and was moved to the new building because of a lack of space. Its founding superintendent, Richard Owen, coined the word dinosaur.
Famous displays
A huge blue whale skeleton, nicknamed Hope, hangs in Hintze Hall, the main entrance hall. It replaced a famous cast of a Diplodocus, known as Dippy, in 2017.
The dinosaur gallery includes an animatronic Tyrannosaurus rex. Other highlights include the Earth galleries, minerals and meteorites, and the Darwin Centre.
Entry is free. The museum is also a major scientific research center, with hundreds of scientists studying the natural world. Its outdoor gardens were redeveloped and reopened in 2024.