History of the Museum

The Archive holds a significant collection of material related to the history and construction of the Museum. The majority of this collection has been catalogued and can be found here. There is also a significant collection of material related to the history of the museum held in the University Archive. Their catalogues can be found here. Please contact them directly for access to these collections.

After 5 years of construction, the doors to the Oxford University Museum of Natural History opened in 1860.