Natural History Museum Facts & Worksheets

The Natural History Museum in London displays many specimens from various branches of natural history. The museum houses around 80 million life and earth science specimens categorized into five primary collections: botany, entomology, minerals, paleontology, and zoology. The museum focuses on the study of taxonomy, identification, and conservation.

See the fact file below for more information about the Natural History Museum in London, or you can download our 24-page Natural History Museum worksheet pack to utilize within the classroom or home environment.

Key Facts & Information

HISTORY

• The Natural History Museum was established due to the rapid expansion of the Anglo-Irish physician and collector Sir Hans Sloane’s primary collection at the British Museum, which had outgrown its location in Bloomsbury. Alfred Waterhouse built the new structure in the 1870s, referring to it as a cathedral to nature. 
• The building showcases Victorian architecture with a Gothic Revival style typical of modern churches and structures, but its tone and embellishments reflect a neo-Romanesque design.
• The great hall, with its tall windows and chapel-like alcoves, resembles the nave of a medieval monastery.
• A white marble statue of Charles Darwin, a naturalist and geologist, overlooks the exhibits from the staircase, resembling a saint positioned over the altar.
• The majority of the Sloane collection had vanished by the early 19th century. Dr. George Shaw, the Keeper of Natural History from 1806 to 1813, sold numerous specimens to the Royal College of Surgeons and occasionally burned materials in the museum’s grounds.
• At the time, Antonio Panizzi, the Principal Librarian, had a strong dislike of the natural history departments and science in general. The museum’s natural history exhibits were not open to the public. 
• Sir Henry Ellis, an English librarian, stated in 1835 to a Select Committee of Parliament that this policy was completely endorsed by the Principal Librarian and his senior colleagues.
• Richard Owen, a paleontologist, fixed many of these errors after being named Superintendent of the Natural History Department of the British Museum in 1856.
• Owen observed a need for additional space in the natural history departments, which necessitated a separate structure due to space limitations at the British Museum site. 
• A competition was organized in 1864 to design the new museum after purchasing land in South Kensington. Captain Francis Fowke, a civil engineer, submitted the winning application and passed away soon after.
• Alfred Waterhouse took up the idea and significantly changed the original plans. He created the facades in his Romanesque style, influenced by his frequent trips to the Continent. 
• The first designs featured wings flanking the main building but were ultimately scrapped due to financial constraints. The Earth Galleries and Darwin Centre now fill the space they would have occupied.
• Following its establishment, the Natural History Museum continued to be a department of the British Museum under the official title British Museum (Natural History). 
• In 1866, prominent figures such as Charles Darwin, Alfred Russel Wallace, and T submitted a petition to the Chancellor of the Exchequer, requesting the museum’s independence from the British Museum’s board. Debates on this issue persisted for almost a century.
• After the British Museum Act 1963 was enacted, the British Museum (Natural History) became an autonomous museum with its board of trustees. The original name was kept despite a suggested change in the House of Lords. 
• In 1989, the museum changed its name to the Natural History Museum and ceased using the British Museum (Natural History) title in its promotional materials and publications for the public.

GALLERIES

• The museum is separated into four groups of galleries or zones, each color-coded to represent a general topic.

RED ZONE

• This zone is accessible from Exhibition Road and is located on the eastern side of the structure. The gallery centers on the evolving history of the Earth. 
• The Earth’s Treasury displays samples of rocks, minerals, and gemstones under glass in a dimly illuminated exhibit. Lasting Impressions is a petite gallery showcasing various rocks, plants, and minerals, with the majority being tactile.

GREEN ZONE

• Visitors can enter this area by the Cromwell Road gate, passing through the Hintze Hall, where the subject is on the planet’s evolution. 

BLUE ZONE

• This area adjacent to the Hintze Hall delves into the variety of living forms seen on Earth.

ORANGE ZONE

• It allows the public to observe scientific processes and offers areas for leisure and reflection. It can be reached from Queens Gate.

PURPOSE OF THE MUSEUM

• The museum conducts several educational and public engagement programs. An example is the well-received workshop for students on how science works, showcasing the application of microfossils in geological study. 
• The museum significantly contributed to obtaining the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) World Heritage Site status for the Jurassic Coast of Devon and Dorset and has since been a chief collaborator in the Lyme Regis Fossil Festivals.
• In 2005, the museum initiated a project to create prominent gallery characters to monitor showcases, such as ‘facsimiles’ of Carl Linnaeus, Mary Anning, Dorothea Bate, and William Smith. They share stories and anecdotes about their lives and discoveries with the goal of surprising guests. 
• The Natural History Museum integrates life and earth science collections with specialized knowledge in biodiversity, evolution, informatics, natural resources, planetary science, systematics, and taxonomy to address scientific inquiries.

POPULAR CULTURE

• In the 1975 London-based Disney live-action feature One of Our Dinosaurs Is Missing, the museum is an important setting where the titular dinosaur skeleton is stolen. The film was about a group of brave nannies hiding inside the mouth of the museum’s blue whale model, which is actually a specially-made prop. 
• The nannies are seen peeking out from behind the whale’s teeth, even though a blue whale, a baleen whale, does not have teeth. The film is set in the 1920s, predating the construction of the blue whale model.
• Millicent Clyde is portrayed as a cunning and deceitful taxidermist at the museum in the 2014 film Paddington. She abducts Paddington to murder and preserves him, but the Brown family stops her after intense chase sequences within and on the roof of the building.
• The museum was heavily showcased in the Sky One 2014 documentary David Attenborough’s Natural History Museum Alive, when many extinct creatures displayed, such as Dippy the Diplodocus, were animated using computer-generated imagery (CGI).

Natural History Museum in London Worksheets

This fantastic bundle includes everything you need to know about the Natural History Museum in London across 24 in-depth pages. These ready-to-use worksheets are perfect for teaching kids about the Natural History Museum. The museum houses around 80 million life and earth science specimens categorized into five primary collections: botany, entomology, minerals, paleontology, and zoology. The museum focuses on the study of taxonomy, identification, and conservation.

Complete List of Included Worksheets

Below is a list of all the worksheets included in this document.

1. Natural History Museum, London Facts
2. First Impressions
3. Unlocking Words
4. Zone in
5. Picking Sides
6. Plan a Visit
7. Historical Relevance
8. On Purpose
9. Be Creative!
10. Write it Down!
11. Natural Contribution

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Natural History Museum in London known for?

The Natural History Museum in London is renowned for its vast collection of over 80 million specimens spanning the fields of botany, entomology, mineralogy, paleontology, and zoology. It’s particularly famous for its dinosaur exhibits, including a complete Diplodocus skeleton.

When was the Natural History Museum in London established?

The museum was established in 1881, although its origins can be traced back to the founding of the British Museum in 1753, which housed a collection of natural specimens.

What are some notable attractions within the Natural History Museum?

Some notable attractions within the museum include the life-size blue whale skeleton suspended from the ceiling in the Hintze Hall, the Darwin Centre Cocoon which houses millions of insect and plant specimens, and the Earth Hall featuring a giant globe representing Earth’s geology.

What educational programs does the Natural History Museum offer?

The Natural History Museum offers a variety of educational programs for both children and adults, including workshops, guided tours, lectures, and interactive exhibits. These programs cover topics such as biodiversity, evolution, conservation, and the natural world.

Is there an admission fee to enter the Natural History Museum?

Entry to the Natural History Museum in London is free for all visitors, although some special exhibitions and events may require a separate ticket purchase. Visitors are encouraged to donate to support the museum’s conservation and research efforts.

Link/cite this page

If you reference any of the content on this page on your own website, please use the code below to cite this page as the original source.

<a href="https://kidskonnect.com/places/natural-history-museum/">Natural History Museum Facts & Worksheets: https://kidskonnect.com</a> - KidsKonnect, April 3, 2024

Link will appear as Natural History Museum Facts & Worksheets: https://kidskonnect.com - KidsKonnect, April 3, 2024