When the Natural History Museum opened in 1881, the public could visit a fascinating large gallery on the second floor, to the left of the central entrance. This gallery was full of animal skeletons, known as the Osteology Gallery (Osteology, the Greek word for bone studies). By 1910, the gallery had become the Upper Mammals Gallery and was filled with various stuffed animals from all over the world.

In 1943, the museum’s herbarium had been bomb damaged, so the gallery’s stuffed mammals were replaced by what could be salvaged of the museum’s large collection of dried plants. That collection, largely hidden in cabinets and drawers, was important for scientists but was of limited interest to the public, so it was decided that the gallery should no longer be open to the public.

However, as part of the museum’s ambitious NHM150 transformation programme – in which a new or revitalised gallery will be opened each year leading up to the museum’s 150th anniversary in 2031 – this space will be temporarily reopened on 16 September for at least 18 months. The historic cabinets and drawers will remain, but the gallery will display a totally new exhibition: “Nature and Us”, which looks at man’s changing relationship with the natural world. It will display specimens and historic objects that haven’t been on show before. The museum describes the display as “experimental” during the initial 18-month period, with visitors begine invited to share their views on what they would like to see in the permanent gallery, which is due to open in 2029.

On our visit on 30 September. we will be guided by members of the teams working within the museum. They will show examples of how human’s understanding of natural history has changed overtime, such as a miniature model of one of the Crystal Palace dinosaurs, made in the 1850s, when scientists tried to imagine what some strange pre-historic creatures looked like, based on a few discovered bones in a time when Darwin’s evolutionary theories were regarded as heretic by many.

On display will also be the Victorian skeleton of a monk seal named Jenny, which serves as a reminder of an era when wild animals were exploited for public entertainment; a Star Wars toy from the 1980’s, covered in marine organisms, which demonstrates how nature quickly can transform everyday objects; a 400,000-year-old hand axe, whose discovery transformed our understanding of when humans first came to Britain. On display will also be a replica jaw from one of Britain’s oldest known domesticated dogs, dating back around 14,300 years, showing that humans have had close relations to dogs for a very long time.

We will also visit the “Fixing Our Broken Planet” gallery, opened only last year, which looks at practical, nature-based solutions to some of the biggest challenges facing the world today.

We will meet at the staff entrance on Exhibition Road, just to the right of the huge bronze gates, at 8.45am on Wednesday 30 September to pass through security.

Please note: the visit is limited to 30 persons, so book early to avoid disappointment!

Members £20.00, non-members £30.00

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