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Natural History Museum unveils Treasures gallery

  • Iguanodon teeth – around 137 million years old, these teeth were discovered by Mary Ann Mantell in 1822. They were the first dinosaur teeth to be found and provided evidence to support the theory that giant reptiles had once walked the earth. (Natural History Museum)
    1/22

    Iguanodon teeth – around 137 million years old, these teeth were discovered by Mary Ann Mantell in 1822. They were the first dinosaur teeth to be found and provided evidence to support the theory that giant reptiles had once walked the earth. (Natural History Museum)

    Iguanodon teeth – around 137 million years old, these teeth were discovered by Mary Ann Mantell in 1822. They were the first dinosaur teeth to be found and provided evidence to support the theory that giant reptiles had once walked the earth. (Natural History Museum)
  • Emperor penguin egg – one of only three fresh eggs collected during Captain Robert Falcon Scott’s ill-fated last expedition to the Antarctic in 1910. The expedition team hoped that the embryos inside would confirm the suspected link between reptiles and birds. (Natural History Museum)
    2/22

    Emperor penguin egg – one of only three fresh eggs collected during Captain Robert Falcon Scott’s ill-fated last expedition to the Antarctic in 1910. The expedition team hoped that the embryos inside would confirm the suspected link between reptiles and birds. (Natural History Museum)

    Emperor penguin egg – one of only three fresh eggs collected during Captain Robert Falcon Scott’s ill-fated last expedition to the Antarctic in 1910. The expedition team hoped that the embryos inside would confirm the suspected link between reptiles and birds. (Natural History Museum)
  • Archaeopteryx fossil – the most valuable fossil in the Museum’s collection, this 147-million-year-old rock slab contains the remains of the earliest known bird. With its combination of bird and dinosaur characteristics, it is a famous snapshot of evolution in action. (Natural History Museum)
    3/22

    Archaeopteryx fossil – the most valuable fossil in the Museum’s collection, this 47-million-year-old rock slab contains the remains of the earliest known bird. With its combination of bird and dinosaur characteristics, it is a famous snapshot of evolution in action. (Natural History Museum)

    Archaeopteryx fossil – the most valuable fossil in the Museum’s collection, this 147-million-year-old rock slab contains the remains of the earliest known bird. With its combination of bird and dinosaur characteristics, it is a famous snapshot of evolution in action. (Natural History Museum)
  • Barbary lion skull – a north African Barbary lion thought to have lived in the Tower of London around 1280–1385. This lion would have been the jewel of the King’s menagerie and, after the ancient native lions, is the oldest lion to be found in the UK. (Natural History Museum)
    4/22

    Barbary lion skull – a north African Barbary lion thought to have lived in the Tower of London around 1280–1385. This lion would have been the jewel of the King’s menagerie and, after the ancient native lions, is the oldest lion to be found in the UK. (Natural History Museum)

    Barbary lion skull – a north African Barbary lion thought to have lived in the Tower of London around 1280–1385. This lion would have been the jewel of the King’s menagerie and, after the ancient native lions, is the oldest lion to be found in the UK. (Natural History Museum)
  • Moa bone fragment – the first fragment of moa bone to be discovered, unearthed in the 1830s by Richard Owen, the first Superintendent of the Natural History Museum. It was the first evidence that the moa existed and will be displayed in Treasures alongside a full moa skeleton. (Natural History Museum)
    5/22

    Moa bone fragment – the first fragment of moa bone to be discovered, unearthed in the 1830s by Richard Owen, the first Superintendent of the Natural History Museum. It was the first evidence that the moa existed and will be displayed in Treasures alongside a full moa skeleton. (Natural History Museum)

    Moa bone fragment – the first fragment of moa bone to be discovered, unearthed in the 1830s by Richard Owen, the first Superintendent of the Natural History Museum. It was the first evidence that the moa existed and will be displayed in Treasures alongside a full moa skeleton. (Natural History Museum)
  • Moon rock – around 3.7 billion years old, this is the only piece of Apollo moon rock owned by the UK. The ilmenite basalt rock fragment was presented as a gesture of goodwill by President Nixon in 1973 following the last manned moon mission, Apollo 17. (Natural History Museum)
    6/22

    Moon rock – around 3.7 billion years old, this is the only piece of Apollo moon rock owned by the UK. The ilmenite basalt rock fragment was presented as a gesture of goodwill by President Nixon in 1973 following the last manned moon mission, Apollo 17. (Natural History Museum)

    Moon rock – around 3.7 billion years old, this is the only piece of Apollo moon rock owned by the UK. The ilmenite basalt rock fragment was presented as a gesture of goodwill by President Nixon in 1973 following the last manned moon mission, Apollo 17. (Natural History Museum)
  • Neanderthal skull – about 50,000 years old, this adult female Neanderthal skull it was the first Neanderthal skull ever discovered. Neanderthals were our closest known relative and this specimen helped to begin the science of palaeoanthropology – the study of ancient humans. (Natural History Museum)
    7/22

    Neanderthal skull – about 50,000 years old, this adult female Neanderthal skull it was the first Neanderthal skull ever discovered. Neanderthals were our closest known relative and this specimen helped to begin the science of palaeoanthropology – the study of ancient humans. (Natural History Museum)

    Neanderthal skull – about 50,000 years old, this adult female Neanderthal skull it was the first Neanderthal skull ever discovered. Neanderthals were our closest known relative and this specimen helped to begin the science of palaeoanthropology – the study of ancient humans. (Natural History Museum)
  • Blaschka glass models – each of the 187 Blaschka models in the Museum’s collection will be on display in the gallery at some point. An incredible study of anatomy, they were made by the Blaschka family between 1886 and 1889 and the techniques used have now been lost. (Natural History Museum)
    8/22

    Blaschka glass models – each of the 187 Blaschka models in the Museum’s collection will be on display in the gallery at some point. An incredible study of anatomy, they were made by the Blaschka family between 1886 and 1889 and the techniques used have now been lost. (Natural History Museum)

    Blaschka glass models – each of the 187 Blaschka models in the Museum’s collection will be on display in the gallery at some point. An incredible study of anatomy, they were made by the Blaschka family between 1886 and 1889 and the techniques used have now been lost. (Natural History Museum)
  • Audubon’s The Birds of America – the world’s most expensive book and one of the best-known natural history books ever produced. It was first published in double elephant folio size between 1827 and 1838 and is famous for its stunning life-size illustrations of birds. (Natural History Museum)
    9/22

    Audubon’s The Birds of America – the world’s most expensive book and one of the best-known natural history books ever produced. It was first published in double elephant folio size between 1827 and 1838 and is famous for its stunning life-size illustrations of birds. (Natural History Museum)

    Audubon’s The Birds of America – the world’s most expensive book and one of the best-known natural history books ever produced. It was first published in double elephant folio size between 1827 and 1838 and is famous for its stunning life-size illustrations of birds. (Natural History Museum)
  • Charles Darwin’s pigeons – Darwin’s pigeons provided him with the crucial evidence for the theory of evolution by natural selection. He bred them in his garden as an experiment and donated these fancy breeds of rock dove to the Museum in 1867. (Natural History Museum)
    10/22

    Charles Darwin’s pigeons – Darwin’s pigeons provided him with the crucial evidence for the theory of evolution by natural selection. He bred them in his garden as an experiment and donated these fancy breeds of rock dove to the Museum in 1867. (Natural History Museum)

    Charles Darwin’s pigeons – Darwin’s pigeons provided him with the crucial evidence for the theory of evolution by natural selection. He bred them in his garden as an experiment and donated these fancy breeds of rock dove to the Museum in 1867. (Natural History Museum)
  • Dodo skeleton – a skeleton constructed from bones that are around 1,000 years old. The death of the dodo was one of the first widely acknowledged cases of human-caused extinction. The bird’s fame was later secured by Lewis Carroll in his book Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. (Natural History Museum)
    11/22

    Dodo skeleton – a skeleton constructed from bones that are around 1,000 years old. The death of the dodo was one of the first widely acknowledged cases of human-caused extinction. The bird’s fame was later secured by Lewis Carroll in his book Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. (Natural History Museum)

    Dodo skeleton – a skeleton constructed from bones that are around 1,000 years old. The death of the dodo was one of the first widely acknowledged cases of human-caused extinction. The bird’s fame was later secured by Lewis Carroll in his book Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. (Natural History Museum)
  • Dwarf elephant tooth – this fossil tooth and jaw bone were discovered in Cyprus by palaeontologist Dorothea Bate. Between 10,000 and 800,000 years old, they were one of the first pieces of evidence to suggest that miniature elephants once lived in the island. (Natural History Museum)
    12/22

    Dwarf elephant tooth – this fossil tooth and jaw bone were discovered in Cyprus by palaeontologist Dorothea Bate. Between 10,000 and 800,000 years old, they were one of the first pieces of evidence to suggest that miniature elephants once lived in the island. (Natural History Museum)

    Dwarf elephant tooth – this fossil tooth and jaw bone were discovered in Cyprus by palaeontologist Dorothea Bate. Between 10,000 and 800,000 years old, they were one of the first pieces of evidence to suggest that miniature elephants once lived in the island. (Natural History Museum)
  • Alfred Russel Wallace’s insects – a rare personal collection, assembled in Southeast Asia, 1854–1862. Wallace, who is credited with the co-discovery of the theory of evolution by natural selection, kept very few of the specimens he collected. (Natural History Museum)
    13/22

    Alfred Russel Wallace’s insects – a rare personal collection, assembled in Southeast Asia, 1854–1862. Wallace, who is credited with the co-discovery of the theory of evolution by natural selection, kept very few of the specimens he collected. (Natural History Museum)

    Alfred Russel Wallace’s insects – a rare personal collection, assembled in Southeast Asia, 1854–1862. Wallace, who is credited with the co-discovery of the theory of evolution by natural selection, kept very few of the specimens he collected. (Natural History Museum)
  • George Clifford’s herbarium sheet – this early collection of dried and pressed plants helped young Swedish scientist Carl Linnaeus to devise a structure for naming specimens. Linnaeus is considered the ‘father of modern botany’ and his system of classification is still in use today. (Natural History Museum)
    14/22

    George Clifford’s herbarium sheet – this early collection of dried and pressed plants helped young Swedish scientist Carl Linnaeus to devise a structure for naming specimens. Linnaeus is considered the ‘father of modern botany’ and his system of classification is still in use today. (Natural History Museum)

    George Clifford’s herbarium sheet – this early collection of dried and pressed plants helped young Swedish scientist Carl Linnaeus to devise a structure for naming specimens. Linnaeus is considered the ‘father of modern botany’ and his system of classification is still in use today. (Natural History Museum)
  • Great auk – one of the most powerful symbols of the damage that humans can inflict. This species became extinct shortly after 1852, not through habit loss but following centuries of intense exploitation by people. (Natural History Museum)
    15/22

    Great auk – one of the most powerful symbols of the damage that humans can inflict. This species became extinct shortly after 1852, not through habit loss but following centuries of intense exploitation by people. (Natural History Museum)

    Great auk – one of the most powerful symbols of the damage that humans can inflict. This species became extinct shortly after 1852, not through habit loss but following centuries of intense exploitation by people. (Natural History Museum)
  • Guy the Gorilla – Guy was a western lowland gorilla who lived at London Zoo from 1946–1978. He was one of the most popular animals in the zoo’s history and millions of visitors fell in love with his gentle nature. (Natural History Museum)
    16/22

    Guy the Gorilla – Guy was a western lowland gorilla who lived at London Zoo from 1946–1978. He was one of the most popular animals in the zoo’s history and millions of visitors fell in love with his gentle nature. (Natural History Museum)

    Guy the Gorilla – Guy was a western lowland gorilla who lived at London Zoo from 1946–1978. He was one of the most popular animals in the zoo’s history and millions of visitors fell in love with his gentle nature. (Natural History Museum)
  • Hans Sloane’s nautilus shell – beautifully carved, it is easy to imagine why this shell was one of Hans Sloane’s favourite specimens. It was made in the seventeenth century and was part of Sloane’s vast collection, which later formed the core of the British and Natural History museums. (Natural History Museum)
    17/22

    Hans Sloane’s nautilus shell – beautifully carved, it is easy to imagine why this shell was one of Hans Sloane’s favourite specimens. It was made in the seventeenth century and was part of Sloane’s vast collection, which later formed the core of the British and Natural History museums. (Natural History Museum)

    Hans Sloane’s nautilus shell – beautifully carved, it is easy to imagine why this shell was one of Hans Sloane’s favourite specimens. It was made in the seventeenth century and was part of Sloane’s vast collection, which later formed the core of the British and Natural History museums. (Natural History Museum)
  • Joseph Banks’s herbarium sheet – plants collected by pioneering scientist Joseph Banks on Captain Cook’s first voyage to Australia in 1770. Banks’s global interests were reflected in the enormous natural history, ethnography and literature collections he amassed in his lifetime. (Natural History Museum)
    18/22

    Joseph Banks’s herbarium sheet – plants collected by pioneering scientist Joseph Banks on Captain Cook’s first voyage to Australia in 1770. Banks’s global interests were reflected in the enormous natural history, ethnography and literature collections he amassed in his lifetime. (Natural History Museum)

    Joseph Banks’s herbarium sheet – plants collected by pioneering scientist Joseph Banks on Captain Cook’s first voyage to Australia in 1770. Banks’s global interests were reflected in the enormous natural history, ethnography and literature collections he amassed in his lifetime. (Natural History Museum)
  • On the Origin of Species first edition – a rare copy of the book that changed the way we look at the world around us. Considered the most important book in biology, it describes Darwin’s theory of evolution by natural selection. (Natural History Museum)
    19/22

    On the Origin of Species first edition – a rare copy of the book that changed the way we look at the world around us. Considered the most important book in biology, it describes Darwin’s theory of evolution by natural selection. (Natural History Museum)

    On the Origin of Species first edition – a rare copy of the book that changed the way we look at the world around us. Considered the most important book in biology, it describes Darwin’s theory of evolution by natural selection. (Natural History Museum)
  • Richard Owen painting – a portrait of the man who created the Natural History Museum. It was painted in 1881, the year that the Museum opened, by William Holman Hunt, one of the most significant artists of the nineteenth century. (Natural History Museum)
    20/22

    Richard Owen painting – a portrait of the man who created the Natural History Museum. It was painted in 1881, the year that the Museum opened, by William Holman Hunt, one of the most significant artists of the nineteenth century. (Natural History Museum)

    Richard Owen painting – a portrait of the man who created the Natural History Museum. It was painted in 1881, the year that the Museum opened, by William Holman Hunt, one of the most significant artists of the nineteenth century. (Natural History Museum)
  • William Smith’s ammonites – ‘father of geology’, William Smith used these 200-million-year-old fossils to prove that the rocks beneath our feet are layered through time. This launched the new science of geology, the study of Earth’s structure. (Natural History Museum)
    21/22

    William Smith’s ammonites – ‘father of geology’, William Smith used these 200-million-year-old fossils to prove that the rocks beneath our feet are layered through time. This launched the new science of geology, the study of Earth’s structure. (Natural History Museum)

    William Smith’s ammonites – ‘father of geology’, William Smith used these 200-million-year-old fossils to prove that the rocks beneath our feet are layered through time. This launched the new science of geology, the study of Earth’s structure. (Natural History Museum)
  • Wold Cottage meteorite – earliest surviving meteorite seen to land in the UK. The rock formed during the birth of the solar system, 4.6 billion years ago, and was seen to fall near Wold Cottage, Yorkshire, in 1795, confirming the extra-terrestrial origins of meteorites. (Natural History Museum)
    22/22

    Wold Cottage meteorite – earliest surviving meteorite seen to land in the UK. The rock formed during the birth of the solar system, 4.6 billion years ago, and was seen to fall near Wold Cottage, Yorkshire, in 1795, confirming the extra-terrestrial origins of meteorites. (Natural History Museum)

    Wold Cottage meteorite – earliest surviving meteorite seen to land in the UK. The rock formed during the birth of the solar system, 4.6 billion years ago, and was seen to fall near Wold Cottage, Yorkshire, in 1795, confirming the extra-terrestrial origins of meteorites. (Natural History Museum)
Iguanodon teeth – around 137 million years old, these teeth were discovered by Mary Ann Mantell in 1822. They were the first dinosaur teeth to be found and provided evidence to support the theory that giant reptiles had once walked the earth. (Natural History Museum)
Emperor penguin egg – one of only three fresh eggs collected during Captain Robert Falcon Scott’s ill-fated last expedition to the Antarctic in 1910. The expedition team hoped that the embryos inside would confirm the suspected link between reptiles and birds. (Natural History Museum)
Archaeopteryx fossil – the most valuable fossil in the Museum’s collection, this 147-million-year-old rock slab contains the remains of the earliest known bird. With its combination of bird and dinosaur characteristics, it is a famous snapshot of evolution in action. (Natural History Museum)
Barbary lion skull – a north African Barbary lion thought to have lived in the Tower of London around 1280–1385. This lion would have been the jewel of the King’s menagerie and, after the ancient native lions, is the oldest lion to be found in the UK. (Natural History Museum)
Moa bone fragment – the first fragment of moa bone to be discovered, unearthed in the 1830s by Richard Owen, the first Superintendent of the Natural History Museum. It was the first evidence that the moa existed and will be displayed in Treasures alongside a full moa skeleton. (Natural History Museum)
Moon rock – around 3.7 billion years old, this is the only piece of Apollo moon rock owned by the UK. The ilmenite basalt rock fragment was presented as a gesture of goodwill by President Nixon in 1973 following the last manned moon mission, Apollo 17. (Natural History Museum)
Neanderthal skull – about 50,000 years old, this adult female Neanderthal skull it was the first Neanderthal skull ever discovered. Neanderthals were our closest known relative and this specimen helped to begin the science of palaeoanthropology – the study of ancient humans. (Natural History Museum)
Blaschka glass models – each of the 187 Blaschka models in the Museum’s collection will be on display in the gallery at some point. An incredible study of anatomy, they were made by the Blaschka family between 1886 and 1889 and the techniques used have now been lost. (Natural History Museum)
Audubon’s The Birds of America – the world’s most expensive book and one of the best-known natural history books ever produced. It was first published in double elephant folio size between 1827 and 1838 and is famous for its stunning life-size illustrations of birds. (Natural History Museum)
Charles Darwin’s pigeons – Darwin’s pigeons provided him with the crucial evidence for the theory of evolution by natural selection. He bred them in his garden as an experiment and donated these fancy breeds of rock dove to the Museum in 1867. (Natural History Museum)
Dodo skeleton – a skeleton constructed from bones that are around 1,000 years old. The death of the dodo was one of the first widely acknowledged cases of human-caused extinction. The bird’s fame was later secured by Lewis Carroll in his book Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. (Natural History Museum)
Dwarf elephant tooth – this fossil tooth and jaw bone were discovered in Cyprus by palaeontologist Dorothea Bate. Between 10,000 and 800,000 years old, they were one of the first pieces of evidence to suggest that miniature elephants once lived in the island. (Natural History Museum)
Alfred Russel Wallace’s insects – a rare personal collection, assembled in Southeast Asia, 1854–1862. Wallace, who is credited with the co-discovery of the theory of evolution by natural selection, kept very few of the specimens he collected. (Natural History Museum)
George Clifford’s herbarium sheet – this early collection of dried and pressed plants helped young Swedish scientist Carl Linnaeus to devise a structure for naming specimens. Linnaeus is considered the ‘father of modern botany’ and his system of classification is still in use today. (Natural History Museum)
Great auk – one of the most powerful symbols of the damage that humans can inflict. This species became extinct shortly after 1852, not through habit loss but following centuries of intense exploitation by people. (Natural History Museum)
Guy the Gorilla – Guy was a western lowland gorilla who lived at London Zoo from 1946–1978. He was one of the most popular animals in the zoo’s history and millions of visitors fell in love with his gentle nature. (Natural History Museum)
Hans Sloane’s nautilus shell – beautifully carved, it is easy to imagine why this shell was one of Hans Sloane’s favourite specimens. It was made in the seventeenth century and was part of Sloane’s vast collection, which later formed the core of the British and Natural History museums. (Natural History Museum)
Joseph Banks’s herbarium sheet – plants collected by pioneering scientist Joseph Banks on Captain Cook’s first voyage to Australia in 1770. Banks’s global interests were reflected in the enormous natural history, ethnography and literature collections he amassed in his lifetime. (Natural History Museum)
On the Origin of Species first edition – a rare copy of the book that changed the way we look at the world around us. Considered the most important book in biology, it describes Darwin’s theory of evolution by natural selection. (Natural History Museum)
Richard Owen painting – a portrait of the man who created the Natural History Museum. It was painted in 1881, the year that the Museum opened, by William Holman Hunt, one of the most significant artists of the nineteenth century. (Natural History Museum)
William Smith’s ammonites – ‘father of geology’, William Smith used these 200-million-year-old fossils to prove that the rocks beneath our feet are layered through time. This launched the new science of geology, the study of Earth’s structure. (Natural History Museum)
Wold Cottage meteorite – earliest surviving meteorite seen to land in the UK. The rock formed during the birth of the solar system, 4.6 billion years ago, and was seen to fall near Wold Cottage, Yorkshire, in 1795, confirming the extra-terrestrial origins of meteorites. (Natural History Museum)

The Natural History Museum is set to showcase 22 of its most significant and valuable objects in a permanent gallery opening on Friday November 30.
A celebration of the museum's most prized items, the exhibition will explore the best of of botany, mineralogy, zoology and palaeontology to help us better understand our natural world.
From dinosaur teeth to the world's most expensive book and Charles Darwin's pigeons, the gallery should be provide a fascinating glimpse into the natural world when it opens to the public.