Welcome to this online architectural tour of the Natural History Museum, one of the most distinctive buildings in London.
Please note this section is the online terracotta tour. On your next Museum visit you can take your own tour by seeking out the highlights detailed below.
This building owes its existence to the passion and vision of Richard Owen, who took over as superintendent of the Natural History Departments at the British Museum in 1856. Owen was unhappy with the cramped storage conditions for the ever-growing collection of natural history specimens, and began a campaign for a separate building that would house this national treasure. Helping him to realise this project was an up-and-coming young architect, Alfred Waterhouse.
When this extraordinary building opened in 1881, it was hailed as ‘a true temple of nature’ and ‘the animal’s Westminster Abbey’.
This tour tells you about the Museum’s creation and highlights some of the details that are often overlooked.
Books and gifts
If you’re interested in knowing more about the design of the Natural History Museum, related books and gifts are available in the Museum Shop.
Find out why Hintze Hall (formerly the Central Hall) is testament to the vision of the Museum's founder, Richard Owen.
Finalising the design for the building was a long process. Discover what inspired and influenced Waterhouse along the way.
Take a look at Waterhouse's stunning Hintze Hall arches featuring terracotta ornamental examples of the Museum's collection.
Waterhouse's plan to clad the entire building in terracotta was pioneering and a world first. See how terracotta ornaments are sculpted and used in the Museum.
Explore the statues, stained glass windows and intricately painted ceiling panels in the North Hall.
Some columns in the Museum exhibit patterns similar to those found on fossil trees. Watch video and read more about the inspiration behind Waterhouse's columns and ornaments.
Learn about the magnificent 'flying staircase' and what influenced the ceiling design of the balcony.
Explore the Minerals Gallery with its columns and ornaments. Of all the Museum's galleries, this one most faithfully retains Waterhouse's original vision.
Many images of the Dodo are not very accurate, including Waterhouse's terracotta ornament. Take a look at his dodo and watch a video that explains the issues.
Waterhouse made artistic features out of even the most basic practical fittings. Discover more about these functional yet innovative structures, and go behind the scenes of the Museum's Herbarium.
Five iron arches span Hintze Hall (formerly the Central Hall), each an integral part of the building's framework. Listen to Museum botanist Sandy Knapp talk about the significance of the plants on the ceiling panels in this video.
Find out about the ambition to make the Museum accessible to a wide audience, and how this affected its design.
Owen's desire to display large specimens dictated the scale of the museum. Take a look at some of the Museum's terracotta highlights.
Take a look at the Museum from the outside. For Waterhouse, the surrounding landscape was just as important as the building itself.