NationMaster - Encyclopedia: Natural History Museum

Coordinates: 51°29′45.54″N, 00°10′34.94″W Map of Earth showing lines of latitude (horizontally) and longitude (vertically), Eckert VI projection; large version (pdf, 1. ...

The Natural History Museum is one of three large museums on Exhibition Road, South Kensington, London (the others are the Science Museum and the Victoria and Albert Museum). Its main frontage is on Cromwell Road. The museum is home to life and earth science collections comprising some 70 million items. There are five main collections: Botany, Entomology, Mineralogy, Palaeontology and Zoology. There is also a wildlife garden containing native fauna and flora. There are many Museums of Natural History around the world, including: American Museum of Natural History, in New York City. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (3752x2391, 2729 KB) Summary The Natural History Museum. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (3752x2391, 2729 KB) Summary The Natural History Museum. ... Terra cotta is a hard semifired waterproof ceramic clay used in pottery and building construction. ... Manchester Town Hall is an example of Victorian architecture found in Manchester, UK. The Carson Mansion is an example of a Victorian home in Eureka, California, USA The term Victorian architecture can refer to one of a number of architectural styles predominantly in the Victorian era. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Natural_History_Museum_1881. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Natural_History_Museum_1881. ... Entrance to the Earth Galleries of the Natural History Museum in London. ... Entrance to the Earth Galleries of the Natural History Museum in London. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Nhmwhale. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Nhmwhale. ... Binomial name Balaenoptera musculus (Linnaeus, 1758) Blue Whale range The Blue Whale (Balaenoptera musculus) is a marine mammal belonging to the suborder of baleen whales. ... ImageMetadata File history File links Download high resolution version (1858x1488, 567 KB) The Natural History Museum from the south east end. ... ImageMetadata File history File links Download high resolution version (1858x1488, 567 KB) The Natural History Museum from the south east end. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Nathistmuseum. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Nathistmuseum. ... The Louvre Museum in Paris, one of the largest and most famous museums in the world. ... The main entrance of the Science Museum on Exhibition Road. ... The junction with Old Brompton Road and Pelham Street, outside South Kensington tube station. ... This article is about the capital of England and the United Kingdom. ... The Science Museum on Exhibition Road, South Kensington, London is part of the National Museum of Science and Industry. ... The Victoria and Albert Museum viewed from Thurloe Square. ... Cromwell Road is a major road in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, London, and is designated part of the A4. ... Pinguicula grandiflora Botany is the scientific study of plantlife. ... Etymology, the study of the origin of words, is sometimes misspelled as Entomology or Entymology. Etymology redirects here. ... Mineralogy is an earth science that involves the chemistry, crystal structure, and physical (including optical) properties of minerals. ... A paleontologist carefully chips rock from a column of dinosaur vertebrae. ... Zoology is the biological discipline which involves the study of non-human animals. ...

The museum is renowned for its exhibition of dinosaur skeletons, particularly the large Diplodocus cast which dominates the entrance. Orders & Suborders Saurischia Sauropodomorpha Theropoda Ornithischia Thyreophora Ornithopoda Marginocephalia Dinosaurs were vertebrate animals that dominated the terrestrial ecosystem for over 160 million years, first appearing approximately 230 million years ago. ... Species (Hatcher, 1901) (Holland, 1924) (Marsh, 1878; holotype) Diplodocus (dih-PLOH-doc-us) meaning double beam in reference to its double-beamed chevron bones (Greek diplos = double + dokos = beam) is a type of dinosaur of subgroup Sauropoda. ...

The foundation of the collection was that of the Ulster doctor Sir Hans Sloane (1660–1753), which allowed his significant collections to be purchased by the British Government at a price well below their market value at the time. This purchase was funded by a lottery. Sloane's collection, which included dried plants, and animal and human skeletons, was initially housed in Montague House in Bloomsbury in 1756, which was the home of the British Museum. In the late 1850s, Professor Richard Owen, Superintendent of the natural history departments of the British Museum saw that the natural history departments needed a bigger, separate building. Hans Sloane. ... The entrance front of Montagu House Montagu House (sometimes spelled Montague) was a late 17th century mansion in Great Russell Street in the Bloomsbury district of London which became the first home of the British Museum. ... Bloomsbury is an area of central London, in the London Borough of Camden. ... The centre of the museum was redeveloped in 2000 to become the Great Court, with a tessellated glass roof by Buro Happold and Foster and Partners surrounding the original Reading Room. ... Sir Richard Owen KCB (July 20, 1804â€“December 18, 1892) was an English biologist, comparative anatomist and palaeontologist. ...

Land in South Kensington was purchased, and in 1864 a competition was held to design the new museum. The winning entry was submitted by Captain Francis Fowke who died shortly afterwards. The scheme was taken over by Alfred Waterhouse who substantially revised the agreed plans, and designed the façades in his own idiosyncratic Romanesque style. Work began in 1873 and was completed in 1880. The new museum opened in 1881, although the move from the old museum was not fully completed until 1883. Francis Fowke (1823-1865) was a British engineer and architect. ... The Natural History Museum in South Kensington, London, has an ornate terracotta facade typical of high Victorian architecture. ... Romanesque St. ...

Both the interiors and exteriors made extensive use of terracotta bricks to resist the sooty climate of Victorian London. The terracotta for the interior and exterior was made by the famous Gibbs And Canning Limited of Tamworth. The bricks include images of plants, animals and fossils. The central axis of the museum is aligned with the tower of Imperial College London (formerly the Imperial Institute) and the Royal Albert Hall and Albert Memorial further north. These all form part of the complex known colloquially as Albertopolis. Terra cotta is a hard semifired waterproof ceramic clay used in pottery and building construction. ... hhi comm arts fiends!!! said ronnie and phil Queen Victoria (shown here on the morning of her Ascension to the Throne, 20 June 1837) gave her name to the historic era The Victorian Era of Great Britain marked the height of the British industrial revolution and the apex of the... Tamworth town centre Tamworth is a historic town and local government district in Staffordshire, UK, located 27 km (17 miles) northeast of Birmingham and 198 km (123 miles) northwest of London. ... Imperial College London is a prestigious (ranked 4th in the world for Engineering & Technology) British academic institution focusing on science, engineering and medicine, complemented by a business school. ... Royal Albert Hall The Royal Albert Hall of Arts and Sciences is an arts venue dedicated to Queen Victorias husband and consort, Prince Albert. ... The Albert Memorial is situated in Kensington Gardens, London, England, directly to the north of the Royal Albert Hall. ... Albertopolis is a nickname for the area in South Kensington, London, between Cromwell Road and Kensington Gore, which contains several educational and cultural sites, including Imperial College Natural History Museum Royal Albert Hall Royal College of Art Royal College of Music Royal College of Organists Royal Geographical Society Science Museum...

Legally, it remained a department of the British Museum with the formal name British Museum (Natural History), usually abbreviated in the scientific literature as B.M.(N.H.) or BMNH. In 1963, the Natural History Museum became an independent museum with its own Board of Trustees, and in 1986 absorbed the adjacent Geological Museum of the British Geological Survey. However, it was not until the Museums and Galleries Act of 1992 that the Museum's formal title was finally changed from B.M.(N.H.) to The Natural History Museum. Scientific literature is the totality of publications that report original empirical and theoretical work in the sciences and social sciences. ... The Geological Museum (originally The Museum of Practical Geology, started in 1835 and therefore one of the oldest single science museums in the world) transferred from Jermyn Street to Exhibition Road, South Kensington in 1935. ... The British Geological Survey is a publicly-funded body which aims to advance geoscientific knowledge of the United Kingdom landmass and its continental shelf by means of systematic surveying, monitoring and research. ...

Between 1974 and 1988 the Geological Museum became world-famous for exhibitions including an active volcano model and an earthquake machine, and housed the world's first computer-enhanced exhibition (Treasures of the Earth). The museum's galleries were completely rebuilt and relaunched in 1998 as a multimedia exhibition entitled The Earth Galleries. In the 1990s, the other exhibitions in the Waterhouse building were retitled The Life Galleries. The Natural History Museum's own Mineralogy displays remain unchanged as an example of the 19th-century display techniques of the Waterhouse building. The Geological Museum (originally The Museum of Practical Geology, started in 1835 and therefore one of the oldest single science museums in the world) transferred from Jermyn Street to Exhibition Road, South Kensington in 1935. ... The Geological Museum (originally The Museum of Practical Geology, started in 1835 and therefore one of the oldest single science museums in the world) transferred from Jermyn Street to Exhibition Road, South Kensington in 1935 in a building designed by Sir Richard Allison and John Hatton Markham of the Office...

The newly-developed Darwin Centre (named after Charles Darwin) holds a collection of millions of preserved specimens, interactive materials and new workspaces for the Museum's scientific staff. Lectures and demonstrations occur daily, and are sometimes webcast. The shared space is designed to bring visitors into close contact with working scientists. Phase one of the Darwin Centre has been completed, and houses the Zoological department's spirit collections — organisms preserved in alcohol. Phase two of the project will bring the Entomology collections and Botanical collections under the same (new) roof. As of 2005, the Entomology Department is storing its collection before the building is pulled down and replaced. Currently Darwin Centre Phase One (or DC1 as it is called) is closed to the public while DC2 is beginning built. The current estimate is DC2 will be ready for opening in 2009. Charles Robert Darwin FRS (12 February 1809 â€“ 19 April 1882) was an English naturalist [1] who achieved lasting fame by producing considerable evidence that species originated through evolutionary change, at the same time proposing the scientific theory that natural selection is the mechanism by which such change occurs. ... Zoology (Greek zoon = animal and logos = word) is the biological discipline which involves the study of animals. ... Functional group of an alcohol molecule. ... Etymology, the study of the origin of words, is sometimes misspelled as Entomology or Entymology. Etymology redirects here. ... Botany is the scientific study of plant life. ... 2005 is a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

The Darwin Centre is also home to Archie the squid, an 8 metre long giant squid taken alive in a fishing net near the Falkland Islands. The squid is currently on display in a prominent position in the large specimen room, in a reinforced glass tank containing a mixture of formaldehyde and saline solution. Archie the squid is an 8 metre long giant squid taken alive by fishermen after becoming entangled in a fishing net near the Falkland Islands. ... Species Architeuthis dux Steenstrup, 1857 ?Architeuthis hartingii Verrill, 1875 ?Architeuthis japonica Pfeffer, 1912 ?Architeuthis kirkii Robson, 1887 ?Architeuthis martensi (Hilgendorf, 1880) ?Architeuthis physeteris (Joubin, 1900) ?Architeuthis sanctipauli (Velain, 1877) ?Architeuthis stockii (Kirk, 1882) Synonyms Architeuthus Steenstrup, 1857 Dinoteuthis More, 1875 Dubioteuthis Joubin, 1900 Megaloteuthis Kent, 1874 Megateuthis Hilgendorf, 1880 Mouchezis... Fishing with a net. ... The chemical compound formaldehyde (also known as methanal), is a gas with a strong pungent smell. ... In medicine saline is a solution of sodium chloride in sterile water, used commonly for intravenous infusion, rinsing contact lenses, and nasal irrigation or jala neti. ...

The museum holds the remains and bones of the River Thames Whale that lost its way on 20 January 2006 and ended up in the Thames. Despite major rescue attempts, the Bottlenose Whale died shortly before it was due to be released back into open waters, when it suffered a convulsion and died on board the barge taking it toward the sea. These bones were donated following a campaign by The Sun newspaper. They will not however be put on display and are instead in their warehouse for the storage of the larger collections such as mammals and palaeontology in Wandsworth. Whale being rescued near Battersea Bridge Wikinews has news coverage related to this subject: Whale spotted in Thames river, Central London Experts fear for the health of London whale Rescue teams try to save London whale London whale dies The River Thames whale was a juvenile female Northern Bottlenose whale... Several places exist with the name Thames, and the word is also used as part of several brand and company names Most famous is the River Thames in England, on which the city of London stands Other Thames Rivers There is a Thames River in Canada There is a Thames... This article is about a British tabloid. ...

The closest London Underground station is South Kensington — there is a tunnel from the station that emerges close to the entrances of all three museums. Admission is free to all, though there are donation boxes in the foyer. The London Underground is an all electric railway system that covers much of the conurbation of Greater London and some neighbouring areas. ... Located on Cromwell Road in South Kensington, London, South Kensington tube station is the closest London Underground station to the Natural History, Science and Victoria and Albert Museums, as well as to Imperial College. ...

grid reference TQ267792 The British national grid reference system is a system of geographic grid references commonly used in Great Britain, different from using latitude or longitude. ...

Categories: 1880 architecture | Grade I listed buildings in London | Kensington & Chelsea | Museums in London | Museums sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport | Natural history museums Image File history File links Commons-logo. ... Wikimedia Commons logo by Reid Beels The Wikimedia Commons (also called Commons or Wikicommons) is a repository of free content images, sound and other multimedia files. ... The Survey of London is an ongoing project to produce a very thorough historical and architectural survey of the former County of London. ... There are over 240 museums in London. ... The centre of the museum was redeveloped in 2000 to become the Great Court, with a tessellated glass roof by Buro Happold and Foster and Partners surrounding the original Reading Room. ... The public entrance to the Churchill Museum and Cabinet War Rooms is a small hole on the corner of a very grand building. ... The Design Museum is a museum in Shad Thames, near Tower Bridge in central London. ... Dulwich Picture Gallery is an art gallery in Dulwich, London. ... The Estorick Collection of Modern Italian Art is a museum in Canonbury Square in the district of Islington on the northern fringes of central London. ... The Foundling Museums Court Room The Foundling Museum was set up in 1998 and houses the nationally important art collection of the Foundling Hospital. ... Sigmund Freuds couch used during psychoanalytic sessions can be found at the Freud Museum In 1938, the founder of psychoanalysis, Sigmund Freud, left Vienna after the Nazi annexation of Austria and moved to London, taking up residence at 20 Maresfield Gardens in Hampstead, Londons most intellectual suburb. ... Geffrye Museum frontage. ... Hayward Gallery, London The Hayward Gallery is an art gallery within the South Bank Centre, situated on the South Bank of the River Thames, in central London, England. ... HMS Belfast, the Royal Navys heaviest ever cruiser, was one of the two ships forming the final sub-class of British Town-class cruisers, the other being HMS Edinburgh. ... Categories: Museum stubs | London attractions ... The Imperial War Museum is a museum in London featuring military vehicles, weapons, war memorabilia, a library, a photographic archive, and an art collection of 20th century and later conflicts, especially those involving Britain, and the British Empire. ... External view of the entrance to the ICA from the Mall. ... Metropolitan Railway steam locomotive number 23, the only surviving locomotive from the worlds first underground railway, is preserved in the museum Londons Transport Museum, formerly known as the London Transport Museum, is a museum which seeks to conserve and explain the transport heritage of London, the capital city... The Museum in Docklands at night, January 2005 The Museum in Docklands, which is an offshoot of the Museum of London, tells the story of Londons Docklands. ... Interior showing the Mayors state coach The Museum of London documents the history of London from the Palaeolithic to the present day. ... The National Gallery from Trafalgar Square The National Gallery is an art gallery in London, located on the north side of Trafalgar Square. ... The National Maritime Museum, Greenwich The National Maritime Museum (NMM) is the leading maritime museum of the United Kingdom, and one of the most important in the world. ... The National Portrait Gallery is an art gallery in St Martins Place, London, England, which opened to the public in 1856. ... The Queens Gallery is a public art gallery located at Buckingham Palace, home of the British monarch, in London. ... This article refers to an art institution in London. ... The Saatchi Gallerys new premises in Chelsea, opening early 2007. ... The Science Museum on Exhibition Road, South Kensington, London is part of the National Museum of Science and Industry. ... The Serpentine Gallery is an art gallery in Kensington Gardens, central London, which focuses on modern and contempory art. ... The Soane Museum is a museum of architecture, and was formerly the house and studio of Sir John Soane. ... The central courtyard of Somerset House in London. ... The Courtauld Institute of Art is a listed organisation of the University of London specialising in the study of the history of art. ... The Gilbert Collection was formed by the English businessman Sir Arthur Gilbert, who made most of his fortune in the property business in California. ... The Hermitage Rooms at Somerset House in London are a venue for temporary exhibitions of items from the collections of the Hermitage Museum in St Petersburg in Russia. ... Tate Britain is a part of the Tate Gallery in Britain, along with Tate Modern, Tate Liverpool and Tate St Ives. ... Tate Modern from the Millennium Bridge Tate Modern from St Pauls Cathedral. ... The Theatre Museum in the Covent Garden district of London, England, is the United Kingdoms National Museum of the Performing Arts. ... The Victoria and Albert Museum viewed from Thurloe Square. ... Exterior of the museum The official opening of the Bethnal Green Museum by the Prince of Wales in 1872. ... The Wallace Collection is a national art museum located in London. ... The Whitechapel Gallery, founded 1901, was one of the first publicly-funded galleries for temporary exhibitions in London. ...