Natural History Museum at Tring facts for kids
View of the oldest part of the museum; there are extensive buildings to the rear and left.
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| Established | 1889 |
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| Location | Tring, Hertfordshire, United Kingdom |
| Type | Mounted zoological specimens |
| Collection size | At least 4000 objects |
| Visitors | 151,787 (2019) |
The Natural History Museum at Tring is a super cool place to explore the animal kingdom! It used to be the private museum of a man named Lionel Walter, 2nd Baron Rothschild. Today, it's part of the famous Natural History Museum, London.
This museum has one of the best collections of stuffed animals in the United Kingdom. You can see amazing mammals, birds, reptiles, and insects. It's located in Tring, Hertfordshire, on Akeman Street. Until 2007, it was known as the Walter Rothschild Zoological Museum.
Contents
A Look Back: The Museum's History
The Natural History Museum at Tring started as the personal collection of Lionel Walter, 2nd Baron Rothschild. It's built on the land of the old Rothschild family home, called Tring Park.
The museum building was finished in 1889. It was made to hold Walter's huge collection of mounted animal specimens. It first opened its doors to the public in 1892. In 1937, the Rothschild family generously gave the museum and all its contents to the country.
Walter Rothschild was very unique! He even bred special animals called zebroids, which are a mix of zebras and horses. You can see a hybrid foal (baby) on display at the museum. He was also famous for riding around in a carriage pulled by zebras! The museum's Zebra Cafe reminds everyone of his love for these striped animals. It even has photos of his trained zebras.
What You Can See: The Amazing Collections
The museum has a massive collection of animals spread across many rooms. You can find animals that are now extinct (meaning they no longer exist), like the quagga, thylacine (Tasmanian tiger), and great auk. There are also models of the moa and dodo.
You might even spot some unusual animals, like hybrids or those with strange color patterns. After World War II, the museum also got a special display of dogs from the Natural History Museum in London. This exhibit shows how different dog breeds have changed over time. It includes tiny Russian and Mexican lapdogs, as well as famous racing greyhounds.
The museum has six main galleries, each filled with different types of animals:
- The first gallery has birds, large meat-eating animals (like big cats), and primates (like monkeys).
- The second gallery is used for special exhibits that change throughout the year.
- The third gallery features crocodilians, crustaceans (like crabs), fishes, insects, huge mammals, and marine invertebrates (sea creatures without backbones).
- The fourth gallery is home to kangaroos and odd-toed ungulates (like horses and rhinos).
- The fifth gallery displays bovids (like cows and goats), hippopotamuses, pigs, and marine mammals (like whales).
- The sixth gallery has amphibians (like frogs), bats, different British mammals, domestic dogs, ratites (like ostriches), lizards, snakes, turtles, and small mammals.
There's also a "Discovery Room" especially for younger children to explore. The "Rothschild Room" is set up to look like the family's old workspace. The museum became part of the Natural History Museum in 1937. It officially changed its name to the Natural History Museum at Tring in April 2007.
The museum also has special bird research collections and a library, but these are not open to the public. However, throughout the year, they have small themed exhibitions. These shows display specimens that are not usually seen. There are also fun activities for young visitors.
Protecting the Collections: Museum Security
Stolen Bird Skins
On June 24, 2009, some brightly colored stuffed birds were stolen from the museum. There were 299 birds in total, mostly beautiful trogons and quetzals from Central and South America. Some birds of paradise from New Guinea were also taken. Many of these birds had been collected by the famous naturalist Alfred Russel Wallace.
Luckily, most of the bird skins were found and returned to the museum!
Rhinoceros Horns Protected
In the early morning of August 27, 2011, someone broke into the museum. They tried to take the horns from two rhinoceros exhibits: an Indian rhino and a white rhino. The thief used what seemed to be a large hammer.
However, the museum had a clever plan! Three months before this break-in, the museum curators had replaced the real rhino horns with fake ones made of resin. These fake horns had no value to thieves. This smart move protected the museum's valuable real horns from being stolen. Real rhino horn is unfortunately sought after for its supposed medicinal qualities in some parts of the world.
Gallery
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Russian and Mexican lapdogs (immature)
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Zebra-horse hybrid foal
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Great auk
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Tasmanian tiger or thylacine
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Side view of the museum (from Park Street)
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