The Oxford University Museum of Natural History is a museum of natural history located in Oxford, England. It is part of the University of Oxford and features a collection of specimens from various fields of natural history, including entomology, geology, mineralogy, palaeontology, and zoology.
The museum was founded in 1850 as the home of the University's scientific collections. The present building, designed by architect Thomas Newenham Deane, was completed in 1860 and is an example of Victorian Gothic Revival architecture. The museum's most striking feature is its large glass-roofed central court, which houses the museum's largest specimens including a Tyrannosaurus rex skeleton.
The museum's collection includes over 7 million specimens, many of which are on display in its galleries. The zoology galleries, for example, feature an extensive collection of stuffed animals, skeletons, and fossils, including a dodo skeleton and specimens collected by Charles Darwin on his voyage aboard HMS Beagle. The mineralogy and geology galleries include displays of rocks and minerals, gemstones, and meteorites. The entomology collection features over 5 million insect specimens, including the Alfred Russel Wallace collection.
The museum also has a number of temporary exhibitions throughout the year, as well as a range of educational activities and events. It is open to the public free of charge, although donations are welcome. The museum is a popular destination for tourists visiting Oxford and is also used by students and researchers at the University.