One of the trio of Exhibition Road museums (the other two being the Science Museum, and the Victoria and Albert* museum), the Natural History Museum is highly conspicuous by its architecture, something that may only become obvious when you see it, in the flesh.

Located in the pinnacle of up-market locations, South Kensington, it plays host to many examples of he diversity of life, the dynamic geology of our planet, beautifully preserved fossils and skeletons of prehistoric beasts, as well as being the venue for London Fashion Week*, the Natural History Museum has unsurprisingly developed a reputation for being one of London's top visitor attractions.

Admission is free.

The Museum Exterior and Grounds

Before you even enter the museum, there are examples of the natural world in the front lawn. There is a petrified tree-trunk, which is mind-blowingly old, and also, have a look at the architecture of the museum itself. Shamelessly neo-gothic, and resembling a large cathedral, you may want to take a look at the gargoyles - they are not what you might find on any church...

Once inside, you will be faced with a dinosaur - that of Diplodocus. Even those who visit the museum often will still be astonished at the size and majesty of the dinosaur.

The Main Hall

So as you enter into the main hall, take a glance up at the ceiling. It's certainly no Sistine Chapel, but look carefully at the pictures. Again, where you would find saints, is something quite different.

All around the hall are examples from the Earth's prehistoric past. There is the armadillo-like creature which is about the same size as a Mini, and a Roc, one of the flesh-eating terror birds.

However, you may wish to see some other things whilst you are here. The museums is divided into two main sets of galleries - the Life Galleries, and Earth Galleries. However, natural history being the devilishly large topic that it is and the museum being quite big and dynamic as a result, means that no entry could really cover all that is going on. So here is what you might like to go and see.

Dinosaurs

It seems compulsory for any museum of natural history to have a dinosaur exhibition, and the one here is no different. The main exhibit is the animatronic T-Rex which apparently has the most natural movement in the world, but that is much later on in the exhibition.

You first go up to a walkway, where the nice concise explanations of the dinosaur fossils are on a backlit rail, and the fossils are interestingly and beautifully displayed high up, at walkway level. Interestingly, because there seems to be nowhere else where the skeletons are displayed like this. Beautifully, because the way in which they are lit casts shadows on the wall - giving the impression that these once magnificent creatures are now but ghosts of their former selves.

So to the end of the walkway, and to this T-Rex. In fact, it's quite disappointing. The movement is quite good, and it fascinates children for a bit, but you may find that you gaze at the robot, stare at it whilst it roars a bit, and faux chews, then start thinking about what to cook for dinner.

The rest of exhibition is pretty standard fare - nice interactive things for the kids, and a nice bit of humour on 'Why Did the Dinosaurs Die Out?'.

Earth

The Earth galleries are the most recent permanent editions to the Museum. It certainly begins quite low-key, then you are thrown into what may be the most impressive atrium in the Exhibition Road museums. With the constellations of the sky emblazoned all over the walls, a gigantic hollow representation of the Earth and sculptures of several bronze figures representing the past, the present and future at the front, it shows that with an eye for design and a passion for geology, you can pretty much cause the jaws of many visitors to succumb to gravity. However, you are not even in the galleries yet - they are on the first floor. But whoever designed the atrium obviously had this in mind. To get to them, you take a trip through the Earth - via escalator. The Earth should revolve ever so slowly around you, but at the time of writing, the rotating mechanism has broken down - in fact, it hasn't rotated for the best part of three years, but it is still quite awe-inspiring regardless. A nice 360-degree view of the atrium can be seen here and here.

Recommended exhibitions are the ones on the weather and how it shapes the Earth, the one on volcanoes and earthquakes (with the famous and equally disappointing reconstruction of the Kobe earthquake) and the ones with the diamonds¹.

Of course, there are temporary exhibitions which happen at random moments throughout the year. They aren't usually worth mentioning, understandibly, due to their temporary nature. However, there is one exhibition which is displayed year after year - and is worth mentioning, due to its breathtaking qualities.

The BBC Wildlife Photographer of the Year Exhibition

Walk past the dinosaurs, and past the bit on human physiology, and you reach the gallery where the exhibition is displayed. Showing from November to the end of February, this is a collection of photographs from the top adult and junior (8-13 years of age) wildlife photographers in the world. Displaying a multitude of animals and landscapes in very different and occasionally quirky categories, the photos not only bring out the sighs of admiration, but tears too - with one of the categories being that of the human abuse of the natural world. In 2001, the winning photo was that of Tobias Benhard's Grey Reef Shark, which manages the almost impossible task of capturing an image of a shark looking quite cute.

The standards of the competition are feverishly high, and the calming atmosphere is well-complemented by the music, or sounds of animals, which wouldn't go amiss on any chillout album. If you are going to see this, make sure that you don't have any screaming children in your vicinity - avoid going in the half-term, as this really breaks the Zen-like peace and contemplation that you will need when seeing this exhibition.

The Gift Shop

Small, overpriced and sadly lacking in posters. There is a large range of books, mainly from the BBC's own Natural History department, and also the back-catalogue of the Wildlife Photographer of the Year. However, unless you want an eraser, or key-ring, it really isn't worth buying anything from here that you can't really get anywhere else cheaper.

The Restaurant

Food is ok, but served at London prices. As a result, it is also expensive. Unless you have money to burn, or just want a bottle of water, then don't eat here. There are plenty of other cheaper places to go for a bite to eat, but they are outside the scope of this entry.

How to Get There

The Underground is still the best way to get around London, South Kensington Tube Station is the closest, and is served by the Piccadilly, District and Circle Lines. Past experience of many travellers will show that you are well advised to get onto the Piccadilly Line to get off here, as it is the most reliable out of the not so regular and highly confusing District Line, and the universally slated and generally abysmal Circle Line.

The station has plenty of signs to the museum, most pointing down a tunnel. Do not use it, even if it is open. It tends to smell of urine, and is a lot longer than you may think. The only occasion in which you may want to use it is when it is raining, but chances are that the tunnel will be flooded, and you will be forced to walk anyway.

Don't turn right out of the station to walk down Exhibition Road - this will get you there, but you don't see much on the way. Instead, turn left, past the cash machines, and then once out of the exit, turn right, past the shop called 'Darwin's Deli - The Natural Selection'². Walk on a bit, and the Natural History museum should appear in front of you, framed by the distinctive white Georgian buildings so common throughout South Kensington. Walk toward it, and remember to take care crossing the road, as Cromwell Road³ will be the last obstacle before the museum proper.