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Natural History Museum opens gallery locked in 1943

News imageDavid Parry A wide view of the Natural History Museum's Nature and Us gallery, flanked by tall wooden herbarium cabinets under a high arched ceiling. Visitors explore various glass display cases, including one in the foreground housing a dark specimen model topped by a large, decorative ladybird emblem.David Parry
The space has been closed to the public since 1943 after it was damaged in WWII

A gallery at London's Natural History Museum that has been closed to the public for more than 80 years is reopening its doors.

The free-to-visit space, named Nature and Us, opens on the second floor of the museum's Waterhouse building on Wednesday from 10:00 BST.

It features 50 specimens and objects - ranging from a 400,000-year-old handaxe to a bryozoan-encrusted Star Wars toy - designed to explore humanity's evolving relationship with the natural world.

Dr Doug Gurr, director of the museum, said: "It's a wonderful space with a fascinating history, and we're excited for visitors to discover it for themselves."

He added: "Opening the doors is a really special moment for everyone involved in bringing this space back to life, and we can't wait to see visitors exploring it for the first time."

News imageTrustees of the Natural History Museum London A historical monochrome photograph of the Natural History Museum's Osteology gallery in 1893, showing mounted animal skeletons including a hippopotamus in the foreground, lined up alongside glass display cases beneath an arched glass-roof ceiling.Trustees of the Natural History Museum London
The Natural History Museum's osteology gallery pictured in June 1893

The gallery has been shut since 1943. Previously used as an osteology (skeleton) gallery and a mammals gallery, the space later served as a botanical collections area after the museum's original herbarium was damaged during World War Two.

The gallery will initially reopen for 18 months, ahead of a planned permanent gallery opening in 2029.

Visitors will still be able to see the room's original wooden herbarium cabinets, which remain in place.

The exhibition is supported by the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC), part of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI).

Claire Andrews, head of community engagement at NERC, said the space would help audiences "explore our evolving connection with nature" while building towards a permanent gallery planned for 2029.

News imageDavid Parry A museum staff member (wearing purple gloves) placing the final touches on a small model of the Crystal Palace dinosaur inside a glass display case.David Parry
The gallery will permanently reopen in 2029

Nature and Us will initially be open for 18 months. During this time, visitors will be invited to share their feedback to help shape the permanent gallery space.

The reopening forms part of the museum's NHM150 campaign, a wider transformation project for its South Kensington site.

The initiative aims to open a new or revitalised gallery each year leading up to 2031, when the museum marks its 150th anniversary.

News imageDavid Parry A visitor standing next to a large, smooth green nephrite jade boulder displayed on a bright orange plinth inside a wood-panelled gallery.David Parry
The exhibit examines how people have understood, and transformed the natural environment across generations - this large stone is green nephrite jade

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