Oxford University Museum of Natural History reopens to public
Following a lengthy closure, Oxford University Museum of Natural History has reopened its doors and collections, which include a 40ft tyrannosaurus rex and Alice’s dodo, to visitors. During the restoration, all of the museum’s 8,500 glass roof panes have been cleaned and resealed, while a number of major displays, such as the whale skeletons, have received conservation attention for the first time in 100 years. Founded in 1860, the Grade I-listed neo-Gothic building was created by Benjamin Woodward and Thomas Newenham Deane as a “cathedral to science”. The museum was originally a research centre for the university, steadily gathering collections of entomological, geological and zoological specimens.
Much is planned in the coming months, including Jones’ Icones, an exhibition of images of butterflies and moths from the celebrated 18th-century manuscript of William Jones of Chelsea.
