London Natural History Museum in London

Photo of London Natural History Museum in London, England
Photograph © London Tourist Board.

Upload photos icon
Click here to upload your photos of London Natural History Museum

E-mail and Social Networking

See more Tweets... RSS feed

342|365

Posted to the Flickr Pool by peterchinnock

Add your photos!

Royalty-free architecture stock photography

London Natural History Museum

Cromwell Road, London, England, Knightsbridge SW7
← Previous   Random   Next →


Print this page   •   Share this page   •   Map This

Much as the British Library is an offshoot of the British Museum, the Natural History Museum is, too, descended from the BM. The British Museum's collection received a massive infusion from Sir Hans Sloane in the 1700's. While a great deal of the collection included artifacts and such, some of it was elemental to the whole notion of what a “Natural History” museum is all about. By the late 1800's, the BM's collection had grown so large that it was decided that a separate natural history museum was needed. Captain Francis Fowke won the contest to design the new museum, but he died a short time later. The plan was executed by Alfred Waterhouse with some alterations. Among those alterations was a general toning-down of the project to make it more realistic. Fowke envisioned a great cathedral of science. If that's what he wanted, he should have stayed alive to build it. Waterhouse did what he could to stay true to the plan, but compromises had to be made. Still, the building today is magnificent. It features columns, a dome, and a massive entryway flanked by a pair of towers worthy of any Gothic cathedral. Moreover, it is a delight for the analytical eye, as even a casual glance reveals that the building is adorned with plant and animal sculptures.

Artefaqs: Royalty-free stock photographs of London, Paris, Italy, and more.
Quick Facts
Notes
  • 1864: A competition is held to find an architect for the museum.
  • 1873: Construction begins.
  • 1880: Construction ends.
  • 1880: Exhibits are brought over from the British Museum.
  • 1881: The museum opens to the public.
  • 1883: The last exhibits are brought over from the British Museum.
  • 1963: The Natural History Museum becomes it's own entity, distinct from the British Museum.
  • 1988: A gallery is built between the Natural History Museum and the Geology Museum, linking the buildings and merging the institutions.
Rate This Museum
method='post' action='/Building.php?ID=287#Rate'>Current rating:50% 80%  name='Rating' id='Rating' value='Praise' class='Plain'> name='Rating' id='Rating' value='Raze' class='Plain'>
Nearby Buildings

Upload photos icon Click here to upload your photos of London Natural History Museum

Your Thoughts

There are no comments. You can be the first to add your thoughts to this page.

Name:

Please tell us your name (Example: "Jim W.")
It doesn't have to be your real name, but it's more social that way.

E-mail address:

E-mail address is used for validation only. It will not be displayed.
We do not spam.

Your location:
Your rating:
Your comments:
Current month (MM): This helps fight spam bots.
Current year (YYYY): This also helps fight spam bots.
  LACU Community   LACU Extras   LACU Tools   LACU Sister Sites
Copyright 2012 Artefaqs Corporation. Artefaqs® and the Artefaqs logo are registered trademarks of the Artefaqs Corporation.
Neither text nor images from this web site may be used without permission.
All your skyscrapers are belong to us.