Natural History Museum nature gallery to reopen after 83 years

Natural History Museum nature gallery to reopen after 83 years

After being closed to visitors for more than eight decades, a historic gallery at London’s Natural History Museum is set to reopen next month. The gallery, which has not been accessible since 1943, will welcome the public again starting from 16 September. It will showcase 50 exhibits that explore how humanity’s relationship with the natural environment has transformed over time.

Titled *Nature and Us*, this exhibition is part of the museum’s broader NHM150 initiative, a long-term project marking the museum’s 150th anniversary in 2031. The plan involves introducing a new or refurbished exhibit annually to celebrate this milestone. Dr Doug Gurr, the museum’s director, expressed enthusiasm about the gallery’s reopening, saying, “For the first time in over 80 years, visitors will be able to step into this beautiful historic space and explore our changing relationship with the natural world.”

Originally located on the second floor of the museum’s main Waterhouse Building, the space was once dedicated to osteology and mammal displays. Following damage sustained by the museum’s herbarium during World War Two, the gallery was repurposed to store botanical collections and consequently closed off to public access. The museum has described the upcoming exhibition as “experimental” for the first 18 months, encouraging visitors to provide feedback that will help shape the permanent gallery planned to open in 2029.

Among the highlighted pieces are a scale model of a Crystal Palace dinosaur, illustrating early scientific and artistic interpretations of prehistoric life, and a Victorian-era skeleton of a monk seal called Jenny, which reflects past practices of using wild animals for entertainment. Additionally, the exhibit includes the jawbone of one of Britain’s oldest known domesticated dogs, estimated to be about 14,300 years old. The Natural History Museum, located in South Kensington, continues to offer free admission and remains open every day throughout the week

Read the full article from The BBC here: Read More