Collections

Collections

The displays in the main court are just a tiny taster of the collections as a whole...

The Museum has over seven million historical and modern specimens encompassing the natural world. They include five million insects; over half a million fossils, rocks and minerals; and over 250,000 zoological specimens. There is also a library of around 20,000 books and an archive containing approximately half a million manuscripts.

The Main Court of the Museum will be transformed in 2023-24, with the large showcases replaced and beautiful new displays installed. During this time some displays will move or be removed, with some areas of the court temporarily inaccessible. Museum opening hours will remain as normal, daily from 10am to 5pm. Read more on the Life, As We Know It project information page.

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Archive and Library

The Archives and Library house a unique collection of natural history books, journals and archives, with a focus on subjects relating to the Museum's collections and research.

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Palaeontology

The palaeontology collection contains around 400,000 fossils, ranging from the Archean (around 2.7 billion years ago) to the end of the Pleistocene (11,700 years ago).

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Life

The Life collection contains all of the animal specimens held by Museum. With over five million specimens, they are the largest collections in the Museum and fill several store rooms behind the scenes.

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Mineralogy and petrology

The mineralogy and petrology collection includes over 30,000 mineral specimens of global provenance, and over 50,000 petrological samples consisting of research suites, historic collections and excellent individual examples of various rock types. The collection also encompasses gemstones, meteorites and decorative stones.

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Art and Architecture

The Museum has a small, but important collection of paintings, sculpture and objects related to the history of natural history and the Museum’s collections. The architecture and design of the building is also of considerable research interest, in particular to Pre-Raphaelite studies and more generally the History of Science.

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Collections care

We work hard to ensure the safety of our collections in perpetuity. The Museum conservators clean, conserve and stabilise specimens using preventive and interventive conservation methods.

Collections Online

Our Collections Online currently holds around 500,000 catalogue records from our Archive, Mineralogy and Petrology, Palaeontology, and Zoology Collections. We are constantly adding new material and around 10% of those collections have images.

Using our collections

We welcome visitors who want to view our collections. This page gives visiting information as well as an outline of our policies.

The Oxford Dodo

The Oxford Dodo is the most iconic specimen held by the Museum. It is the most complete remains of a single dodo...

The Oxford Dodo is the most iconic specimen held by the Museum. It is the most complete remains of a single dodo in the world, including soft tissue of the head and foot.

Nantan meteorite

One of the oldest objects anywhere on Earth is on display in our Touchable Mineral aisle. At about 4.5 billion...

One of the oldest objects anywhere on Earth is on display in our Touchable Mineral aisle. At about 4.5 billion years old, the Nantan meteorite is as ancient as the Earth itself.

Jones' Icones

Jones' Icones is one of the most beautiful and scientifically important early works on butterfly and moth...

Jones' Icones is one of the most beautiful and scientifically important early works on butterfly and moth collections found in Britain. Over 1,500 paintings are enclosed in a book...

Jones' Icones is one of the most beautiful and scientifically important early works on butterfly and moth collections found in Britain. Over 1,500 paintings are enclosed in a book that was never published,...

Jones' Icones is one of the most beautiful and scientifically important early works on butterfly and moth collections found in Britain. Over 1,500 paintings are enclosed in a book that was never published, and the only copy is conserved in the Museum’s Li

Skeleton parade

The parade of skeletons in the main court is one of the Museum’s most photogenic displays. Even just a quick...

The parade of skeletons in the main court is one of the Museum’s most photogenic displays. Even just a quick glance at the line-up reveals some of the great diversity of evolutionary...

The parade of skeletons in the main court is one of the Museum’s most photogenic displays. Even just a quick glance at the line-up reveals some of the great diversity of evolutionary adaptations of these large...

The parade of skeletons in the main court is one of the Museum’s most photogenic displays. Even just a quick glance at the line-up reveals some of the great diversity of evolutionary adaptations of these large mammals.

The Oxfordshire Dinosaurs

Oxfordshire is home to the discovery of the first dinosaur to be scientifically described: Megalosaurus bucklandii....

Oxfordshire is home to the discovery of the first dinosaur to be scientifically described: Megalosaurus bucklandii. On display with Megalosaurus are three other species of dinosaur...

Oxfordshire is home to the discovery of the first dinosaur to be scientifically described: Megalosaurus bucklandii. On display with Megalosaurus are three other species of dinosaur discovered in Oxfordshire, as...

Oxfordshire is home to the discovery of the first dinosaur to be scientifically described: Megalosaurus bucklandii. On display with Megalosaurus are three other species of dinosaur discovered in Oxfordshire, as well as exact replicas of dinosaur skeletons

Gemstones

Delve into this colourful display in the Upper Gallery, featuring beautiful gemstones and an incredible variety...

Delve into this colourful display in the Upper Gallery, featuring beautiful gemstones and an incredible variety of jewellery design.

The 'Red Lady' of Paviland

In 1823, geologists excavating the remains of mammoths in Goat's Hole Cave near Paviland in South Wales made...

In 1823, geologists excavating the remains of mammoths in Goat's Hole Cave near Paviland in South Wales made an intriguing discovery: a partial human skeleton covered in red ochre,...

In 1823, geologists excavating the remains of mammoths in Goat's Hole Cave near Paviland in South Wales made an intriguing discovery: a partial human skeleton covered in red ochre, accompanied by shell beads...

In 1823, geologists excavating the remains of mammoths in Goat's Hole Cave near Paviland in South Wales made an intriguing discovery: a partial human skeleton covered in red ochre, accompanied by shell beads and carved ivory items, and watched over by a m

Trilobite wall

The oceans were once filled with trilobites, ancient animals that are some of the first creatures with hard parts...

The oceans were once filled with trilobites, ancient animals that are some of the first creatures with hard parts found in the fossil record. A giant slab of rock preserves a natural...

The oceans were once filled with trilobites, ancient animals that are some of the first creatures with hard parts found in the fossil record. A giant slab of rock preserves a natural gathering of three types of...

The oceans were once filled with trilobites, ancient animals that are some of the first creatures with hard parts found in the fossil record. A giant slab of rock preserves a natural gathering of three types of trilobite, as well as many brittle stars.