Grant Museum of Zoology

Museum of zoology · Fitzrovia

Grant Museum of Zoology

Museum of zoology · Fitzrovia

Rockefeller Building, 21 University St, London WC1E 6DE, United Kingdom

Highlights

Step into the Grant Museum, London’s quirky Victorian-style zoology spot teeming with rare skeletons, preserved critters, and science-packed charm.

Rockefeller Building, 21 University St, London WC1E 6DE, United Kingdom Get directions

ucl.ac.uk

@grantmuseumucl

@onthegrid

On the Grid : Grant Museum of Zoology

"The Grant Museum is located in the north-east corner of Fitzrovia and the only remaining university zoology museum in London. A natural history collection of around 67,000 specimens, covering the entire animal kingdom, including many rare and extinct species such as the Tasmanian Tiger and the Dodo. Founded in 1828 by Professor Robert Grant, the museum retains that fascinating air of the avid Victorian collector with cases packed full of skeletons and specimens preserved in jars." - UsVs

https://onthegrid.city/london/fitzrovia/grant-museum-of-zoology

View Postcard for Grant Museum of Zoology

@onthegrid

On the Grid : Grant Museum of Zoology

"The last of its kind, a creepy yet completely enthralling collection of skeletons and preserved animals of all sorts." - Sam Morris

https://onthegrid.city/london/kings-cross-euston/grant-museum-of-zoology

View Postcard for Grant Museum of Zoology

@onthegrid

"Grant Museum of Zoology, Fitzrovia. The Grant Museum is located in the north-east corner of Fitzrovia and the only remaining university zoology museum in London. A natural history collection of around 67,000 specimens, covering the entire animal kingdom, including many rare and extinct species such as the Tasmanian Tiger and the Dodo. Founded in 1828 by Professor Robert Grant, the museum retains that fascinating air of the avid Victorian collector with cases packed full of skeletons and specimens preserved in jars."

London

View Postcard for Grant Museum of Zoology

@onthegrid

London

View Postcard for Grant Museum of Zoology

T Hartberg

Google

This museum is part of the University College London Medical School and is used for teaching as well as being open to the public. It is filled to capacity with skeletons, fossils and other animal representations with minimal explanations. For the occasional visitor, it would have been more informative if there were fewer items on display, giving each item more space to appreciate its details, and with more explanation. But as it is a free museum one must not complain. And there is an amazing amount of stuff to see, so don't rush it if you intend to visit.

Valeria Sandoval Carrasco

Google

Very interesting small museum. Hundreds of specimens and some very unique ones too. I’d definitely recommend for any natural history and biology lovers. It is does seem to be visited by a lot of children, I would recommend coming early to avoid too much of a crowd. It’s not open to the public whenever however so double check and plan accordingly. It’s completely free and you cannot book it in advance

Chris Tavan

Google

Fascinating compact one floor museum. Covering all the natural animal world, with many extinct specimens.. It is actually used for specimens studies . Well, it's worth a visit, even though if you are not a " scientist ".. Children's activities are also available. There may be a small wait, depending on how busy it is.

Mel A

Google

Fascinating zoological museum. I was lucky enough to attend during a fascinating lecture on the proper handling of human remains from any time in history. The displays were incredible. Anybody interested should definitely go. To top it off, it's free entry.

A H

Google

Such a hidden gem in London! It is free and open from 1-5 on week days. They have TONS of skeletons and specimens with a lot of interesting information. Totally come check it out! More fun than the natural history museum and less crowded.

Sandra H

Google

Visited on a Thursday afternoon with a friend. Free entry which was great. Fairly small but packed with lots of interesting exhibits. Spent about half an hour there. Felt and looked like an old Victorian museum. Absolutely loved it. Highly recommend a visit. Staff were lovely too.

Hannah Wolf

Google

Great little museum if you are interested in nature, evolution and / or the macabre. Skeletons and taxidermy. Nice building and ambience. Was quiet and peaceful when I visited on a Wednesday. Educational content and some grisly exhibits. Free audio tour via own smartphone or headsets with a little mp3 player. Helpful staff.

jeff benjamin

Google

Established in 1827, named after founder Robert Grant, currently a “teaching collection”, part of UCL and partly opened to the public. Not lacking anticipated marinating specimens in jars (varying vintage) and ever so gruesomely fascinating. Here view the sadly extinct, the potentially endangered, skeletons and bones in polished wooden academic cabinets. Special mention; the “Blaschka” glass collection of unimaginably intricate invertebrate models, breathtakingly delicate and beautiful. Perhaps mildly challenging to the squeamish and children but this should be no deterrent - as the sketch would have you know; “.. E's passed on! This parrot is no more! He has ceased to be!— ‘E's a stiff! Bereft of life,”** The staff here friendly, knowledgeable and enthusiastic to share their expertise. ✔️ Recommended ** Monty Python sketch.

Michelle P.

Yelp

On day four of my London visit I toured the Wellcome Collection and nearby Grant Museum. Grant's cases were filled to the brim with stuff, pickled and defleshed critters. The specimens ranged from perfectly reconstructed skeletons to somewhat mishapen taxidermy pieces. Of particular interest to me were the intricate Blaschka glass models of mollusks and cnidarians; to date no one has been able to replicate their work. For £15 you can adopt a specimen for a year, which includes a plaque with your name and invitations to special events. Best of all, unlike the Hunterian, you can take photos. If you're more of an interpretive arts type you can arrange to move one of the specimens (with some restrictions/exceptions) to one of the central tables for closer viewing. If your tastes run a bit on the macabre side or if you're a bio geek I would highly recommend a stop.

J K.

Yelp

If you're in the area and have an extra hour, come here. It's free. it doesn't take long to see everything. There are some really interesting pieces.

Georgia J.

Yelp

The Grant Museum has been on my list for a little while now and I honestly had the best afternoon. The extent of the collection is beautiful and they have an amazing array of both dry and wet specimens. They have just so much stuff! From skeletons and skulls to brains and body parts and what I can only refer to as a jar of moles. It's honestly fascinating and every specimen is beautifully labelled. The only thing I was slightly disappointed by was that the cabinets go so so high, beyond anyone's reach and I was desperate to see what I was missing! Though as this museum is there primarily for education purposes with the connected uni it's completely understandable that they squeeze as much in as possible despite the average spectators needs. The staff were also really helpful if you asked for a particular animal or specimen which was great. My personal favourites were the python skeleton, the many many delicate bats and the backlit microscope slides. Oh and the sneaky skeletons up top peering over the edge! Oh and did I mention it's completely free?

Robert Elijah Pearce F.

Yelp

Love all the severed heads, I especially like when you can see the stumpy bits. But also I love everything about this museum: it's free, and it feels like something out of Harry Potter. There are so many dead animals, some of them millions of years old. It also was not busy when we went (16:00), so we were able to look at all the corpses in peace. If you love the macabre or are morbidly curious then come here! The guy at the front desk was OK. He had curly hair, which was endearing, but he didn't say a word to us. Kinda rude.

Donald C.

Yelp

For what it is, it's great. It's free and fantastic, plus you can take pictures unlike the Hunterian. It is a bit on the small side, but there is certainly plenty to see. The staff were knowledgeable. They also had some interesting postcards. If you're in London, definitely come visit.

Cordelle P.

Yelp

This is how the story begins. There was a dark, dark street. On the dark, dark street, there was a dark, dark university. In the dark, dark university, there was a dark, dark corridor Down the dark, dark corridor, there was a dark, dark museum. And in the dark, dark museum, some skeletons lived. A Quagga skeleton, the inside chimp's head and a jug of moles. Definitely a place to take children who get a great deal out visiting. This museum may not be one for the squeamish but you would be fascinated by the weird and wonderful treasure trove of creatures in jars full of formaldehyde and skeletons. It also has a model of an elephant's heart and the rarest skeleton in the world. A great idea Alex to spend fancy dress yelp halloween party here. With great sample of Jamaica melted in your mouth black river chocolate, trick or treat gift bag, chopstick game by React energy drink.

E J.

Yelp

Pickled animals everywhere! Appealing to the biology nerds and those who lean more towards the slightly macabre day out in London, the Grant Museum of Zoology ticks all the boxes. There is a jar of moles, animal skeletons, stuffed animals, wall to wall slides of cells... certainly one of the science curious, it's easy to be deceived by the small interior but it's so easy to lose a few hours of your day taking in all the specimens and learning a thing or two on the way.

Jennifer R.

Yelp

The Grant Museum of Zoology is one of London's treasures a little off the beaten path. While the Natural History Museum houses beautiful examples of full, life sized animals with detailed information cards to provide information to the masses, Grant's takes a simpler approach of having thousands of pickled, and taxidermied animals and their bones on display with mostly just a label and your imagination to take care of the rest. Scattered about are information cards containing interesting tidbits for certain pieces, but there is far too much here and far too little space to do it for each and every thing. Despite it's small size I spent way over an hour here glancing through the library-like stacks, trying to get every little detail of every skeleton, section and filled jar. My favourite part of the museum was the Micrarium, which even without looking at it in detail posses this great beauty about it. Overall this place is a great little visit if you're looking for something a little different to do in London, and you have a penchant for things that are a little more grotesque.

Katherine P.

Yelp

My nephew simply loves this place. We come almost every month. For him this place is so interesting that he cannot get enough from it. I on the other hand do not enjoy our visits, but I am happy that Tom is happy.

Siân L.

Yelp

Very much enjoyed this exhibition of pickled animal body parts and skeletons. Fascinating and gruesome all at once. Brilliant atmosphere; very compact but full to the brim with specimens. Relatively easy to find and brilliant value considering entry is free.

Joseph F.

Yelp

I've been here twice now, once at it's previous location and I visited recently to find it had moved just up the road to a larger location. I didn't think the place could get any better, but now they have the room to display more of their collection it's outstanding. For those who have done the Spirit Collection tour of the Darwin Centre at the Natural History Museum, this is similar... only a lot better! Lots of interesting creatures in jars, many things you'll have never heard of. People are always on hand and eager to tell you about the specimens. It's a comparatively small room literally packed with specimens. They also do FREE evening science lectures with FREE wine and many workshops for children.. Check it out!

Darel S.

Yelp

I stood there, rather dumbfounded the first time I stepped in. Well, after finally finding it, that took a little bit of trouble. There's an amazing array of specimens and the little signs of adoption definitely contribute to an feeling of welcome. I've joined in a few events and each has been thoroughly enjoyable and enlightening, do stop by if you've got the chance to!

John M.

Yelp

When you first walk through the doors, that first look round takes you back to museums of the past of glass case. After a short while you realise that the old fashioned style museums have a lot to offer. The place is packed with specimens from floor to ceiling. You can adopt an exhibit and there is a certain fascination in looking at what has been adopted, there are still plenty left for you to choose. I would recommend a visit an hour to two are plenty to enjoy this wonderful place.