#250: Horniman Museum and Gardens

The Horniman Museum and Gardens might make a useful location for a field visit for those schools who are within easy travelling distance.

We will be collating a list of suggested places for field visits, including museums of this kind. We have a spreadsheet with quite a lot already, but keen to hear your suggestions.

Here's a description of the museum collection, one of which is particularly useful.

Our Natural History collection contains over 250,000 specimens of local, national and worldwide origin. 

They were assembled from the mid-19th to the early 21st centuries for public display, education, reference and research.

The collection contains biological and geological material of national and international significance and includes taxidermy, skeletal material, pinned insects, fossils, minerals, rocks, models, dried pressed plants, fungi, shells, and birds’ eggs.

Having recently declared an ecological and climate emergency we increasingly use our collections to connect people with nature and encourage a deeper appreciation, love and respect for the natural world. Our collections and research – combined with the public programmes – help to raise awareness of the global environmental challenges we all face. We seek to empower and encourage people to take action to protect the planet and its ecosystems for future generations.

The Natural History collection can be searched. It is split into Zoology, Geology and Botany.

There is plenty of taxidermy, and also collections of skeletons.

Some of the museum is free to visit, but there is a charge for the Aquarium and Butterfly House, which may be of interest.

I also like the look of the World Gallery.

This school seemed to like their visit:

Year 10 GCSE artists & photographers visited the Horniman Museum in London on Monday. They carried out drawings and photographs in the butterfly house & aquarium as well as making observations of the vast array of taxidermy on exhibit in the gallery of natural history. #horniman pic.twitter.com/rPfFRYXjsM

— Claremont Fan Court School (@CFCSchool) September 22, 2023

What's your nearest natural history museum / display / exhibition?