Entering the Grant Museum is like entering a laboratory with all the sample jars, glass cabinets, and skeletons. But what’s really cool is that you can be there! It is not very big so wait only an hour for a visit. You’ll see some strange things including a dugong skeleton (now extinct), an elephant bird egg (also now extinct), and a mammoth tusk that is at least 12,000 years old.
Entrance: free.
Hours of operation: Monday to Saturday: 1 pm to 5 pm
Support the Grant Museum
For a small fee, you can become a Friend of the Museum, which has the added benefit of adopting a specimen at the museum. Your name appears next to your chosen specimen, which could make a great gift or surprise for a visitor. Learn more about supporting the Grant Museum.
More about the Grant Museum
The Grant Museum of Comparative Zoology and Anatomy was established in 1827 by Robert Edmond Grant (1793-1874) to serve as a teaching collection at the newly founded University of London (later University College London). Grant was the first professor of zoology and comparative anatomy in England. He was a mentor to Charles Darwin and was one of the first people to teach evolutionary ideas in England.
It’s fun to visit regularly as there are curator-chosen ‘Items of the Month’ that are fun to browse.
This is the best of London: quirky, eccentric, a little creepy, but a lot of fun. The Grant Museum is near the Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archeology and a 10-minute walk from the British Museum.
