NATURAL HISTORY

The Natural History collections contain over 250,000 specimens of local, national and worldwide origin. This includes several thousand specimens acquired in the 19th century as part of the original Horniman bequest. Many thousands more specimens have been added throughout the 20th and early 21st centuries for the purpose of display, education, reference and research.

The collection is varied and contains a range of biological and geological material and its associated data. This includes taxidermy mounts, study skins, articulated skeletons and bones, dried pressed plants, mollusc shells, birds' eggs, pinned insects, freeze dried specimens, histological slides, models, fluid preserved material, fossils, minerals and rocks. Some parts of the collection contain related field notebooks, photographs and other archival information. Research continues to be carried out on the collection by Museum staff and other specialists.