The University of Oxford Museum of Natural History is housed in a huge, attractive neo-Gothic building which gives plenty of space to show off its treasures. The main hall contains most of the exhibits, but there is also more to see around the sides and also on the next floor up where a balcony gives a great view over everything.
Significant exhibits include the story of the 4 species of dinosaurs discovered in Oxfordshire, the infamous ‘Oxford Dodo’, the display of two large plesiosaur skeletons and a range of reconstructed animal skeletons. Basically, if you love bones, you’ll love this place!
At the rear of the building is a separate museum packed full of curious items from around the world. The Pitt Rivers Museum (pictured below) houses around 600,000 objects, photographs and manuscripts documenting how people live. It’s unusual in that so many of the items are in glass display cases – the kind of thing every other museum is moving away from. However, here, it really works. It feels like a personal collection rather than a museum.
The University of Oxford Museum of Natural History is open daily from 10am to 5pm. The Pitt Rivers Museum is open daily from 10am to 4.30pm although it opens at 12pm on Mondays. Admission to both museums is free.
MORE THINGS TO DO IN OXFORDLOCATION & CONTACT
Address: University of Oxford Museum of Natural History, Parks Rd, Oxford OX1 3PW
Address: Pitt Rivers Museum, South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3PP
Tel (Natural History):+ 44 1865 272 950
Tel (Pitt Rivers): +44 1865 613 000
MORE ON THE NATURAL HISTORY & PITT RIVERS MUSEUMS
Oxford Natural History Museum – Official website
Pitt Rivers Museum – Official website
Oxford Hop-on, Hop-off Bus Tour – Stops near the Natural History Museum
Hotels in Oxford – We recommend Hotels.com
Oxford Guide Books – Amazon.co.uk
Travel Through Oxford Guide Book – Amazon.com