Ever come face to face with something so massive it makes you appreciate the tiny ant? Or stood before an object older than Earth itself?
In London, that’s not just possible—it’s waiting for you.
Welcome to the Natural History Museum.
Here, one moment you’re face-to-face with a dinosaur frozen in time, the next you’re craning your neck beneath an 82-foot blue whale skeleton that makes you feel wonderfully small. And just around the corner? Ancient meteorites that have seen more of the universe than we ever will.
It’s where nature’s greatest hits are all on display—and guess what? It won’t cost you a thing. Entry is entirely free. No catches.
So whether you’re on a solo adventure, dragging along your very curious (or very tired) kids, or just in search of something marvel-worthy on a rainy London afternoon…this is one London stop you can’t skip.
Now, with so much to see, where do you even begin? Glad you asked. That’s exactly what I’m here for.
So come on then.
Let’s start with a bit of History
Now, I know what you’re thinking… ‘Oh no, not a history lecture!’
Don’t worry, I am not in the mood to bore you with names and dates. But here’s something you should know…. “Why was this place built in the first place?”
Well, to give nature its own space in London.
Before this museum existed, all the natural specimens were stuffed into the basement of the British Museum in Bloomsbury…buried there under art, mummies, and Greek antiquities.
Nature was, quite literally, downstairs.
Then came Sir Richard Owen, the anatomist and paleontologist who coined the term ‘dinosaur’. He believed natural history deserved a dedicated cathedral of science, and he fought tooth and claw for years to make it happen. Finally, in 1864, he won when the government agreed to create a separate Natural History Museum.
And, thus began one of London’s most ambitious museum projects.
Construction kicked off in 1873, and the museum officially opened in 1881…though it wasn’t technically finished for next few more years. But, it officially parted ways with the British Museum in 1963, and since then, it has grown from 5 million specimens to over 80 million.
Yes, 80 million. Can you believe it?
Now, come to Architecture
Here’s the bit you didn’t expect to fall in love with- the building itself.
The architecture of this dedicated museum is just as jaw-dropping and legendary as the dinosaurs inside.
Just like Big Ben, in this case also a design competition was held to choose the architect for this grand museum of today’s. Alfred Waterhouse, a young architect known for his distinctive Romanesque Revival style was chosen for the job. This last-minute dark horse was more into building a cathedral of natural science than a mere museum.
Mr. Waterhouse decided to model it after 12th-century Romanesque architecture, with influences from continental cathedrals featuring grand arches, columns, and vaulted ceilings to the museum.
Do you know, the museum was built using terracotta tiles? And, it wasn’t just for beauty, but because it resists London’s signature soot and smog. Practical and pretty. What do you say?
The best part about its architecture is that…it’s more of a storytelling. If you aren’t paying attention at 100%, you never know when you will miss those hidden creatures on the wall.
This is where the magic of Waterhouse design kicks in.
He filled the building’s façade and interiors with hundreds of animal carvings, all hand-sculpted in stone. There are extinct animals, real species, and mythical creatures from frogs climbing pillars to apes peeking from arches.
On the west side of the museum, carvings focus on living creatures…while on the east, there are mostly extinct and fossilized species. If you look closely you’ll find bats curled into column tops, lizards on stair rails. Even the floor tiles are themed…very intricately styled with leaves, vines, and ancient floral motifs.
You must agree with me, that it’s a living building.
No doubt, Waterhouse was a genius. He built a building which doesn’t house nature. It is nature.
So, what’s inside the museum?
Honestly, where do I even begin?
There are so many things inside that this place needs its own postcode, let alone a separate blog (which I will be writing, by the way).
The grand entrance hall
Let’s start with the Hintze Hall (well, it’s the current name) which was the former home to “Dippy the Dinosaur”. However, in 2017, Dippy went on a UK tour and now “Hope”, a real blue whale skeleton, floats above you…a 4.5 tonne of grace, suspended in mid-air as if she’s still diving through time. Even this skeleton alone is so large that you’ll need to walk for several minutes to fully appreciate its scale.
Just beneath Hope, near the entrance, you’ll discover one of the world’s most complete Stegosaurus skeletons. And right across from the staircase, there he is….in this very hall sits Charles Darwin. Who knows, perhaps, he’s just observing the daily visitors to this museum.
Anyway, while still in Hintze Hall, be sure not to miss the fascinating meteorites and displays of extinct reptiles just above those stairs. Up on these balconies, there’s also a remarkable 2-meter tall Fossil Tree Trunk which is no less than 300 Million Years Old. They say, it’s from a prehistoric rainforest….and belonged to a species that predates dinosaurs. Older than dinosaurs? Wow!
After this hall, you need to decide where you want to go next depending on your interests…there’s red zone, green zone, blue zone, and the orange zone.
A Quick How-Not-to-Get-Lost Guide
First, let me tell you where the dinosaurs are…they are in the Blue zone.
There’s actually a life-sized animatronic T. rex which roars and moves in a dark jungle setup. If your kids seek the Jurassic Park T.Rex experience, this is where you need to bring them.
Also, don’t forget to step into the land of giants. This giant mammals hall of blue zone includes the full-size model of a blue whale, mammoths, a giant ground sloth, and many more. This is some place, where you will actually feel tiny. Your problems will feel even tinier.
And then? You need to see the Neanderthals, and early humans. For that, remember to visit Human Evolution Gallery. Also, this is where a replica of Lucy is, though the real lucy is in the national museum of Ethiopia. That 3.2-million-year-old ancestor of ours.
And, if you’re a fan of The Lord of the Rings, you’ll enjoy staring at those tiny Mystery skulls of human “Homo floresiensis”.
When I saw those, I couldn’t help but wonder….How can a human skull be only about the size of an orange? Yes, they are that tiny. As per historians, it belongs to a human species that lived in Indonesia about 50,000 years ago.
Just like many others, I initially thought, it was fake…or some kind of deformity. When it was found, some scientists also thought the same….until more skeletons were found. Yes, It’s real… and it rewrote human history as we know it today.
Now, let’s go to the Red zone next.
This is your portal to the Earth Hall and geoscience zone…where you will see a real moon rock brought back from Apollo missions, the Aurora Pyramid of Hope, and of course, you can experience a terrifyingly real earthquake simulation.
No matter what you skip here, don’t miss the Nakhla Meteorite.
Why? What’s so special about it?
Well, it’s one of the few meteorites known to have come from Mars… and it was rumored to have killed a dog when it landed in Egypt in 1911. (Though that’s possibly an urban legend).
What most people don’t know about it is…Scientists discovered amino acids in the rock and this very rock was the reason which sparked decades of “life on Mars?” debate.
I missed it the first time too – partly because I didn’t know it existed, and partly because I didn’t have much time to figure out what I’d missed. So, don’t make my mistake. Whenever you visit the museum, make a list of the items you’re eager to see.
Do you want more? There’s still a Green zone.
Totally focussed on Fossils, Minerals, and Treasures.
Here, you can come across those sea monsters that ruled this planet before the dinosaurs. And then in the Minerals Gallery, there are rows after rows of glittering stones, meteorites, and volcanic rocks. By the way, here in this zone…there’s a treasures gallery, where there is the first edition of On the Origin of Species by Darwin.
Also, here’s that 4.5 billion-year-old meteorite and an incredibly rare 2,000-year-old Dodo skeleton….We all know, that Dodos went extinct around 1681, making them the first species we recorded as wiped out by humans. Now, doesn’t that make it worth seeing? Yes, of course.
And finally, there’s Orange Zone with its Darwin Centre.
Ever heard about the Spirit Collection? This part of the museum is often missed by the casual visitors. If you forget about this section, you might miss over 8.5 meters long Archie the Giant Squid.
Do you want more? I can keep talking…for another hour or more. Believe me, there’s still so much more to still talk about, and more importantly, so many legends and stories to tell you all.
Don’t you wonder why London’s Paddington bear is so afraid of this Natural History Museum? Or where they are hiding that real Anaconda Skeleton? Or simply why on earth there are so many pigeon skulls next to Darwin’s book?
These are the kinds of questions that naturally arise, and they all deserve answers. That’s precisely why I believe the Natural History Museum warrants another dedicated article.
So, I’ll conclude this one here. Find me on my next London blog.
Until then, go, wander, wonder.