NHM (South Kensington)

The original core of the Natural History Museum, which was founded in 1754 and moved to the present building in 1881, was made up of the scientific collections of Sir Hans Sloan. The museum – a palatial Romanesque building – was designed by Alfred Waterhouse and is an impressive 675ft long, with two 190ft high towers. Its exterior is lined with terracotta slabs with animal figures in relief. Chief among its many artefacts is its original collection of more than 50,000 books, 10,000 preserved animals, and 334 volumes of pressed plant species. The collection has since grown to include over 80 million items covering zoology, palaeontology, mineralogy, entomology and botany, with another 500,000 added each year. The museum is also a centre for scientific research specialising in conservation and has many collections of historical value, including specimens collected by Charles Darwin. The northwest corner of the ground floor is dedicated to mammals, including whales, and displays of extinct mammals.

The lower floor is dedicated to land mammals, including giraffes, elephants, hippos and their early relatives, while the upper gallery focuses on aquatic mammals. Other highlights include exhibits related to the first ever mammals to walk the earth, as well as Australian species (both living and extinct). A special display illustrates the story of 'Britain before Man' and other sections deal with the regional geology of Britain and the economic mineralogy of the world. Rock samples brought back from the moon by the Apollo spacecraft are also on display. The first floor houses exhibits focusing on the origin of species and human evolution, and explores natural selection and Darwin's theories. The mineral gallery contains about 130,000 specimens, representing about 75 percent of the world's known minerals. This gallery also has a collection of meteorites, including the huge 3.5 ton Cranbourne meteorite from Australia. An adjacent gallery shows "Our Place in Evolution" and displays the remains of "Lucy", an Australopithecus discovered in Ethiopia in 1974 and believed to be 1.5 to 5 million years old.

A long corridor through the department of petrified mammals leads to a room dedicated to the balance of nature and the environment. It is possible to discover interesting facts about acid rain and the interaction of forest and coastal ecosystems. Iguanodon and Hypsilophodon are just two of the outstanding dinosaurs on display at the Natural History Museum. There are also several other skeletons from all over the world. Popular exhibits include part of one of the first T-Rexes discovered, as well as a triceratops skull. The experience was very good because I learned and explored many new things. It was my first chance to come here. So they really impressed me because it was an amazing story about NHM (South Kensington). I used a company taxi at both ends of this journey; the first was from London City Airport. The driver was very professional and the experience was positive. I was very impressed with this company service and highly recommend it. and will continue to be used.