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A Short Guide to Visiting Oxford University Museum of Natural History – OUR CROSSINGS
Oxford needs no introduction.
The city of spires, students, and sumptuous cathedrals is as inspirational as it is fascinating.
It is best known for having one of the oldest and most prestigious universities in the world, its literary legacy and green spaces.
In more recent years, Oxford has gained fame as a setting for many iconic scenes in the Harry Potter films, particularly for Hogwarts School.
The historical British city is not short of a museum or two either, and as we arrived on a rainy summer day, and needed to escape the constant pelting, we headed straight to the Oxford University Museum of Natural History.
The museum is a truly wonderful place to visit, as here, you can gaze up at towering dinosaur skeletons, see a colony of swifts in a tower and study the preserved model of the extinct dodo.
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As we swung open the large wooden doors at the main entrance of the imposing building, we were met with a sight that surprised us.
Right away, I noticed the huge iron pillars and a glass roof allowing light to wash over the spacious square court and sweeping halls. The sides of the museum’s interior were lined with the stone columns of cloistered arcades.
The building is truly impressive, with great architecture, interactive displays and cabinets full of displays.
I loved how there were several exhibits – from the unimaginably ancient rocks to a collection of stuffed animals – available to touch that truly added to the experience, and all this for free entry!
The main hall feels light and airy thanks to the huge windows, and while it isn’t the most filled museum in terms of having specimens and items on display, it’s still worth a visit and your time, especially given it is literally adjacent to Pitt Rivers!
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A Brief History of The Museum
Housed in a glorious neo-Gothic structure from the 1800s, the Oxford University Museum of Natural History was established in 1860 to draw together scientific studies from across the University of Oxford.
Today, the award-winning museum is a place of scientific research, collecting, and fieldwork, and it hosts a programme of events, exhibitions, and activities for public and school students of all ages.
Its collection has grown over the years, with everything from its Oxfordshire dinosaurs and famous dodo to living and breathing exhibits like the hissing cockroaches and various other natural specimens, making for a great day out.
Oxford is inextricably tied to the famous children’s book Alice in Wonderland, and the Museum of Natural History is no exception.
It is said that Charles Dodgson, who wrote under the pseudonym Lewis Carroll, was a frequent visitor to the museum, and it’s believed that a 1651 painting of a dodo by Jan Savery displayed at the museum inspired the Dodo in Alice in Wonderland.
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Oxford University Museum of Natural History Highlights
The museum’s collection spans over 7 million objects, only a small proportion of which is on display at any one time.
The displays are split into distinct areas – including zoology and mineralogy – but it was the palaeontology collection that first caught our eye.
Fossils and replicas of dinosaurs dominate the museum floor, clustered by the museum’s exhibits.
There’s herpetology, entomology, mammalogy, palaeontology and ichthyology all representing the biodiversity of life.
- Undoubtedly, the dinosaur exhibits are among the highlights. You can check out the huge footprint in the front lawn to get an idea of the size of some of these creatures and come face to face with a terrifying Tyrannosaurus rex model inside.
- Another fascinating museum exhibit is an eerie-looking gathering of animal skeletons of everything from a horse and a pig to an African giraffe and elephant.
- A working beehive where you can press your nose up against the smooth glass that divides you from the bustling, crawling crowd of bees and see these little pollinators in minute detail.
- You would also love the eagle-eyed view down onto the dinosaurs below from the museum cafe
- The museum holds the last soft-tissue specimen of the now-extinct Dodo. It’s this exhibit that is thought to have inspired Lewis Carroll to create the character in the book.
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Things To Know Before Visiting the Oxford University Museum of Natural History
The Oxford University Museum of Natural History is located on the university campus, only a 10-minute walk north of the city centre.
We found the directional street signage to locate the museum is not the best, and had to seek a little guidance from passersby – my recommendation is to look out for the King’s Head PH and then walk along Park’s Road.
- Opening Hours: The museum is open daily from 10 am to 5:50 pm, with last admission at 5:30 pm. The museum has extended opening hours on the last Friday of each month
- Parking: Parking is not available at the museum, you can walk, use public transport or a Park and Ride.
- Museum Cafe: There is also a wonderful cafe which is environmentally friendly, wholesome, and clearly run with great care, offering lots of vegetarian and vegan lunch options, delicious cakes and sandwiches.
- Address: Oxford University Museum of Natural History & the Pitt Rivers, Parks Road, Oxford, Oxfordshire, OX1 3PW
- Entrance Fee: Free to enter
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The Pitt Rivers Museum
Once you are done exploring the museum, make sure you pop into the Pitts River Museum – a dimly lit anthropological treasure trove of exhibits featuring everything from weaving looms and spears to life-size totem poles.
The Pitts River Museum is housed in the adjacent building to the Museum of Natural History and can be easily accessed directly from the ground floor.
The Pitt Rivers Museum was founded in 1884 by Lt. General Augustus Pitt Rivers, who donated his collection to the University of Oxford with the condition that a permanent lecturer in anthropology must be appointed.
The incredible donation consisted of approximately 22,000 items. By now, the collection has grown to 500,000 items, many of which have been donated by scholars, travellers, and missionaries.
Some of the highlights worth checking out include:
- Several shrunken heads, also known as tsantas, from South America
- a 2500-year-old cylindrical glass bead from Cyprus, which features a human face on both sides
- An ox-scapula shovel found in Avebury, which dates to between 2900 and 2600 BC
At first glance, the museum might seem a bit overwhelming as there are endless amounts of cabinets filled with all sorts of curiosities spread over three floors.
The objects in the museum are arranged topologically, meaning you get to compare how different cultures come up with different solutions for the same problem.
Sadly for the explorer in me, after 2 and a half hours’ worth of visiting Ericeira and Lilly had reached their limit and it was time to go.
- Getting there: You can enter the Pitt Rivers Museum through Oxford University’s Museum of Natural History
- Admission fees: Free entry, suggested donation £5
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Other Things To See In Oxford
While Oxford is best known for its eponymous university, there’s much more to see and do than its colleges.
Some of the best things to do in the city are:
- See the wonderful Hertford Bridge, often called the Bridge of Sighs, that joins two parts of Hertford College
- Climb the 99 steps of the Carfax Tower for an incredible view of the Oxford skyline
- Learn about the lives of the city’s literary giants, such as J.R.R. Tolkien, William Morris and Samuel Johnson
- Go punting on the Cherwell.
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Visiting Divinity School
You could also follow in our footsteps and visit one of the most beautiful places in Oxford – the ornately decorated Divinity School, which is a must for any visit to the city.
The 15th-century Gothic building was built in the perpendicular style, which forms part of the University of Oxford. It occupies the lower storey of Duke Humphrey’s Library and it’s mostly used for lectures, oral exams, and discussions on theology.
Given that the Divinity School was built between 1427 and 1483, it is the oldest purpose-built university building that’s still in use today.
- Opening Hours: The Divinity School is open daily
- Admission: the Divinity school is £2 per person or £5 for a family ticket.
- Getting there: Bodleian Libraries, Broad Street, Oxford, OX1 3BG.
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And That’s A Wrap!
I hope you enjoyed reading about the Oxford University Museum of Natural History and the city.
We immensely enjoyed our time in Oxford and visiting many of its incredible attractions.
Oxford has some of the oldest Gothic architecture, hence its label as the city of the dreaming spires. Many of these spires are made up of the university’s buildings. This makes the city a charming mixture of old and modern buildings.
Regardless of why or how you know about Oxford, I can assure you that there is more than you realise about this Oxfordshire town.
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Now, over to you!
Have you been to the Oxford University Museum of Natural History? Let us know in the comments!
Let us know if you are planning to visit Oxford and have travel-related questions!
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