| Summary : Oxford University Museum of Natural History was built between 1855 and 1860 and houses the University's scientific collections of zoological, entomological and geological specimens. The museum was designed by Sir Thomas Deane and Benjamin Woodward and is Gothic in style. It is built of stone with different coloured stone detailing and is symmetrically laid out with a central three-storey tower and a steep hipped roof. Either side of the tower are six bays which are two storeys high. Inside, the museum consists of a large central hall made of glass and iron. It has an arched roof and is divided into five bays by columns. The inside of the hall (stone and metalwork) is richly decorated incorporating natural history themes which act as a type of encyclopaedia of nature. There are also a number of life size statues of some of the great scientists including Galileo, Watt and Darwin. In 1860 the museum was the scene of the "great debate" between Samuel Wilberforce, Bishop of Oxford, and the biologist and writer, Thomas Huxley, on evolution and religion. The debate was centred on Charles Darwin's theory of evolution by natural selection and although Darwin was unable to attend, Darwin's works were defended by Thomas Huxley, who was known as "Darwin's bull-dog" due to his strong support of Darwin's ideas. The Museum displays a statue of Darwin and some of the crabs he collected during his voyage on the Beagle. |
More information : Oxford University museum was built between 1855 and 1860 and designed by Sir Thomas Deane and Benjamin Woodward. It is made of stone with detailing in various coloured stone. The main building comprises of a main façade similar to that of a Flemish cloth hall with side wings which together form three sides of the main glazed hall which housed the majority of the exhibits. It has two storeys and a slate roof. At the centre is a tall three-storey tower. Inside the museum is a large glazed court (c.35 metres by 35 metres) which is divided into five bays by iron columns and has an arched roof. The hall is surrounded by a two-storey brick and stone arcade. The inside of the hall is decorated with carved decorations, many of which incorporate natural history themes and act as a type of encyclopaedia of nature. The cast-iron columns have ornamental wrought iron capitals in the shape of leaves and set against the columns supporting the ground-floor arcade are life size statues of important scientists.
Around the glazed court are what were originally rooms for professors and students, lecture rooms, a library, stores for collections, a dissecting room, and a porters' mess room. These rooms are also richly decorated with carved and painted woodwork, painted walls and ceilings, door furniture, carved stone fireplaces, and cast iron grates.
For more information please refer to the source. (1)
The site was purchased in 1854 and the museum built in 1855-60. The large symmetrical building is Gothic in style and was designed by Thomas Deane, Son and Woodward. It has a central tower and a steep hipped roof. There are six bays either side of the tower in two storeys. Around the upper windows are decorated with foliage and flower carvings. The entrance has marble carving designed by Hungerford Pollen and carried out by Woolner. Inside, the museum consists of a large room surrounded by an ambulatory and ancillary rooms. The whole of the central room is made of glass and iron forming three naves (a higher central one and two lower aisles). The capitals of the piers and the spandrels have rich wrought-iron decoration made by Skidmore of Coventry. The stonework is also richly decorated with foliage carvings and there are statues of some of the great scientists including Galileo, Watt and Darwin. In 1885-6 the Pitt Rivers Museum was added to the north east of the museum. (2)
The Oxford University Museum of Natural History houses the University's scientific collections of zoological, entomological and geological specimens. (3)
Oxford University Museum of Natural History was the location for the "great debate" on evolution and religion which took place in 1860 between Samuel Wilberforce, Bishop of Oxford, and the biologist and writer, Thomas Huxley. The debate was centred on Charles Darwin's theory of evolution by natural selection and although Darwin was unable to attend, Darwin's works were defended by Thomas Huxley, who was known as "Darwin's bull-dog" due to his strong support of his ideas. The Museum displays a statue of Darwin and some of the crabs he collected during his voyage on the Beagle. (4)
National Grid Reference SP5146906923 (centroid of the object) identified by digital ordnance survey mapping. (5) |