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Built:
1873- 1880
Designed by: Captain Francis Fowke, but executed by Alfred Waterhouse
Type: Museum
Location: Cromwell Road
City: London
State: England
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M
uch as the British Library is an offshoot of the British Museum, the Natural History Museum is, too, descended from the BM. The British Museum's collection received a massive infusion from Sir Hans Sloane in the 1700's. While a great deal of the collection included artifacts and such, some of it was elemental to the whole notion of what a “Natural History” museum is all about. By the late 1800's, the BM's collection had grown so large that it was decided that a separate natural history museum was needed. Captain Francis Fowke won the contest to design the new museum, but he died a short time later. The plan was executed by Alfred Waterhouse with some alterations. Among those alterations was a general toning-down of the project to make it more realistic. Fowke envisioned a great cathedral of science. If that's what he wanted, he should have stayed alive to build it. Waterhouse did what he could to stay true to the plan, but compromises had to be made. Still, the building today is magnificent. It features columns, a dome, and a massive entryway flanked by a pair of towers worthy of any Gothic cathedral. Moreover, it is a delight for the analytical eye, as even a casual glance reveals that the building is adorned with plant and animal sculptures.
**1864: A competition is held to find an architect for the museum.
**1873: Construction begins.
**1880: Construction ends.
**1880: Exhibits are brought over from the British Museum.
**1881: The museum opens to the public.
**1883: The last exhibits are brought over from the British Museum.
**1963: The Natural History Museum becomes it's own entity, distinct from the British Museum.
**1988: A gallery is built between the Natural History Museum and the Geology Museum, linking the buildings and merging the institutions.
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