Natural History Museum to Re-open
Following an almost five-month long closure, the longest period since the second world war, the Natural History Museum is delighted to be able to offer a warm welcome to visitors, throwing open the doors from Wednesday 5 August. The Museum’s South Kensington site will initially re-open on Wednesdays to Sundays only and from 11am to 6pm (last entry at 5pm), whilst Tring will open seven days a week.
New measures will be in place to ensure staff and visitors can have a safe and enjoyable experience. To help manage the number of people in the Museum at any one time, capacity will be significantly reduced. It will be essential to book a free timed ticket in advance online at nhm.ac.uk or by phone. Museum Members and Patrons will have priority booking 48 hours before it opens to the public; they will also benefit from fast-track entry.
Director of the Natural History Museum Sir Michael Dixon says: ‘We’re delighted to be able to safely share our wonderful buildings, spacious galleries and gardens once again. The nation has reconnected with the natural world during lockdown and there is no better place to discover all it has to offer than our Museum.’
Safety First
The Museum has achieved Visit Britain’s ‘We’re Good To Go’ industry standard by demonstrating adherence to the respective Government and public health guidance and the implementation of new safety measures.
Limiting visitor numbers will allow visitors to keep a safe distance from people who are not in the same household. Friendly and trained staff will be on hand to support visitors to have a great time and stay safe.
Hands-free hand sanitiser will be available at all entrances, cafes, shops, toilets, lifts and in the largest gallery spaces. Toilet facilities will be open with clear 2-metre queuing signage in place.
Acrylic protection panels will be in place in cafes, shops, visitor information and ticketing stations and staff who are not based behind these will be issued with face coverings.
All visitors are recommended to wear a face covering during their visit and this will be made clear at the point of booking a timeslot. Additional reusable and washable face coverings will be available for purchase in the shops.
The Natural History Museum at Tring
The Museum at Tring will also re-open on Wednesday 5 August, seven days a week: Free admission tickets will need to be booked in advance online. With numbers strictly capped to a very low capacity, visitors will be able to freely explore the Museum as they choose or follow the self-guided tours and activity trails. The majority of permanent galleries will be open; the temporary exhibition space and the Rothschild Room will be closed initially as social distancing is harder to maintain in these areas.
The Museum at Tring will have all the same safety measures in place as South Kensington.
The main Museum entrance on Akeman Street and the Akeman Street car-park will be closed, pre-booked visitors with tickets will be directed to the quadrangle entrance, visitors travelling to Tring by car will be directed to the Dawes Park car-park.
The Digital Museum
For those unable to visit the Museum buildings just yet, its digital offering allows visitors to browse millions of specimens from the collection, take a virtual tour, participate in citizen science and access learning resources online.
Highlights include: an interactive experience about Hope the blue whale; audio guides narrated by Sir David Attenborough; activity ideas to try at home or in local outdoor spaces and the popular Nature Live Online interactive discussions featuring topical content with the museum’s scientists and cutting-edge research.