Sarah Day takes a tour around the Oxford Museum of Natural History with Kevin Walsh, the museum’s Assistant Director. Currently celebrating its 150th anniversary, the museum was founded by Professor Sir Henry Acland, with construction beginning in 1855. The design was directly influenced by the critic John Ruskin, and the influence of the pre Raphaelite movement can still be seen in the building, which has remained largely traditional in design.
As part of the birthday celebrations, the museum is putting on an exhibition showing contemporary photographs, documents and engravings tracing its history, which Kevin Walsh explains. It is also hosting a exhibition of amazing fossils – the 525 million year old Chengjiang fauna from China. Featuring exceptional preservation, the fossils have never been seen outside of China before, and are only on show in Oxford until 14 November. Curator Derek Siveter explains the significance of the fossils to our understanding of the history of life.