Constructed between 1855-1860 to house the University’s growing collection of natural history specimens, the Oxford Natural History Museum is one of the finest examples of a temple to the natural sciences.
The cathedral like building with soaring stained glass ceilings was designed by Irish architects Thomas Newenham Deane and Benjamin Woodward, inspired by the writings of John Ruskin and funded largely through the sale of Bibles.
In addition to housing extraordinary specimens such as the famous Oxford Dodo (the most such complete remains and said to have inspired Charles Dodgson, aka Lewis Carroll, in creating the character in Alice in Wonderland), the museum has also seen its share of history. In 1860 a great debate over evolution was held by the Society for the Advancement of Sciences, and in 1894 the first public demonstration of telegraphy was held within the lecture theatre.
