London's Natural History Museum Reopens WWII-Closed 'Nature and Us' Gallery

After being closed to the public for over 80 years, the 'Nature and Us' gallery at London's Natural History Museum will reopen on September 16. The gallery, originally an osteology hall, was repurposed during World War II to house botanical specimens after bombing damaged the building. The reopening is part of the NHM150 project, a fundraising campaign to renovate galleries ahead of the museum's 150th anniversary in 2031. The exhibition will feature 50 objects from the museum's collections, including the skeleton of a Victorian monk seal named Jenny, a replica jaw from a 14,300-year-old dog from Gough's Cave, and a 1980s Star Wars toy encrusted with bryozoan. Also on view will be a 400,000-year-old ax found in a French quarry, dubbed 'the stone that shattered the time barrier,' presented at the Royal Society on May 26, 1859, and a Victorian miniature model of the Crystal Palace dinosaurs. The gallery's reopening is part of a broader transformation, with a permanent gallery on similar themes planned for 2029. Museum director Doug Gurr called the reopening 'an exciting moment,' and Claire Andrews of the Natural Environment Research Council expressed confidence that the exhibition will 'captivate minds and motivate visitors.'