[unitegallery OUMNH]
Well, I have just had the incredible privilege of visiting the Oxford University Museum of Natural History last weekend. The OUMNH as we shall now call it, is a great techno-gothic cathedral dedicated to science and reason, filled with fantastic specimens of life past and present. Cast iron arches reach for the sky, supporting a glass roof that lets in the illuminating light while standing sentinenal around the hallowed cloisters are statues of the Knights of Reason – the great names include Charles Darwin, Galileo Galilei, William Smith, Aristotle and Hippocrates.
Occupying the central spot is Tyrannosaurus Rex which attracts the usual attention. Great to see that British restraint has prevailed and he has not been given a name – no Stans or Sues here thank you very much. Iguanadon also occupies a place of honour next to T Rex – the second ever dinosaur to be officially described back in 1865. The first one ever officially described, Megalosaurus, is there too. Then there are other flagship species such as Triceratops, Edmontosaurus, Pachycephalosaurus, and lesser known specimens including Struthiomimus and Cetiosaurus.
There is so much to see in this place and I didn’t have enough time to see all of the exhibits. My hosts were more interested in the shrunken heads from Papua New Guinea in the adjacent Pit Rivers Museum than looking at dinosaurs, so my attention was a little diverted from my dinosaur quest. But I did get to see ichthyosaurs and pterosaurs and dinosaur skin which was a privilege indeed.
It was in this museum that Darwin debated his new theory of evolution  back in 1860. Fitting that this debate took place in this recently completed, way over budget, beautiful techno gothic church of reason built by men of science in an age of enlightenment. The debate took place seven months after Charles Darwin had published his earth-shattering book “On the Origin of Species.”  A number of very famous scientists and philosophers took part, including Thomas Henry Huxley, Bishop Samuel Wilberforce, Benjamin Brodie, Joseph Dalton Hooker and Robert FitzRoy.  The debate is best remembered today for a heated exchange in which Wilberforce supposedly asked Huxley whether it was through his grandfather or his grandmother that he claimed his descent from a monkey. For more on this debate see the Wikipedia entry here.
Time was short and I was a little frustrated when I left as there was still so much to see, not only the amazing specimens but the beautiful detail on the building’s cast iron pillars, the amazing roof and the intricate carving of the stonework.
For those who are able, get down to the OUMNH for an afternoon of dinosaur fun, and of course don’t miss out on the shrunken heads which have been peering out of a glass cabinet at the likes of you and me for the last 100 years.
[unitegallery Oxford]
