Natural History Museum at Tring – Hertfordshire, England - Atlas Obscura
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Hertfordshire, England

Natural History Museum at Tring

The incredible private taxidermy collection of an eccentric zoologist. 

Museum exterior Ian Petticrew/cc by-sa 2.0
Quagga specimen with zebra-horse hybrid foal. Messybeast/cc by 2.5
Entrance sign Mark Fosh/cc by 2.0
A taxidermy rhinoceros hornbill , from South East Asia Monsieur Mictlan (Atlas Obscura User)
A fierce gorilla taxidermy Monsieur Mictlan (Atlas Obscura User)
A bird of paradise specimen that was collected by Alfred Russel Wallace Monsieur Mictlan (Atlas Obscura User)
Taxidermy of the Cassowary that was kept as a "pet" by Rothschild Monsieur Mictlan (Atlas Obscura User)
A strange creature known as the moon rat , from South-East Asia Monsieur Mictlan (Atlas Obscura User)
Closeup of Tring's Thylacine Monsieur Mictlan (Atlas Obscura User)
A taxidermy gharial crocodile , a now endangered species from India Monsieur Mictlan (Atlas Obscura User)
Closeup of taxidermy California condor Monsieur Mictlan (Atlas Obscura User)
Taxidermied extinct passenger pigeon and the Hawaian Ne-ne goose that almost went extinct Monsieur Mictlan (Atlas Obscura User)
View of the upstairs museum gallery with its Asian and African mammals (and a shark or two) Monsieur Mictlan (Atlas Obscura User)
A taxidermy Siamese crocodile , a species that is close to extinction Monsieur Mictlan (Atlas Obscura User)
A bizarre creature , the saiga antelope from the steppes of Russia /Mongolia Monsieur Mictlan (Atlas Obscura User)
A vibrantly coloured quetzal bird from Mexico and Central America Monsieur Mictlan (Atlas Obscura User)
The gaze of a taxidermy Okapi , one of the first specimens brought to Europe Monsieur Mictlan (Atlas Obscura User)
Taxidermy specimens of a Mandrill and its close relative the drill monkey Monsieur Mictlan (Atlas Obscura User)
A lion with an aristocratic bearing Monsieur Mictlan (Atlas Obscura User)
A taxidermy jaguar with a cynical expression Monsieur Mictlan (Atlas Obscura User)
The happy looking polar bear taxidermy specimen Monsieur Mictlan (Atlas Obscura User)
Not a werewolf but a brown hyena taxidermy specimen Monsieur Mictlan (Atlas Obscura User)
A taxidermy of a lesser bilby , an Australian species now sadly extinct Monsieur Mictlan (Atlas Obscura User)
Taxidermy specimen of a Sumatran rhino , a species at imminent risk of extinction Monsieur Mictlan (Atlas Obscura User)
A taxidermy specimen of an albino African leopard Monsieur Mictlan (Atlas Obscura User)
A rare species known as the flatheaded cat, native to Borneo Monsieur Mictlan (Atlas Obscura User)
A male mountain gorilla taxidermy Monsieur Mictlan (Atlas Obscura User)
A Nosferatu lookalike , the bald uakari monkey , an Amazonian primate species Monsieur Mictlan (Atlas Obscura User)
A greater mouse lemur with a charismatic smile Monsieur Mictlan (Atlas Obscura User)
A wide eyed black colobus monkey from Africa Monsieur Mictlan (Atlas Obscura User)
A taxidermy aye aye lemur Monsieur Mictlan (Atlas Obscura User)
A furious looking Tarsier , a tiny primate from South East Asia Monsieur Mictlan (Atlas Obscura User)
Taxidermy specimen of an extinct great auk Monsieur Mictlan (Atlas Obscura User)
A Chacma baboon striking a pose Monsieur Mictlan (Atlas Obscura User)
A rather mournful looking chimp Monsieur Mictlan (Atlas Obscura User)
An Indri lemur , the largest living species of lemur and one of the most endangered Monsieur Mictlan (Atlas Obscura User)
Rothschild with his famed zebra carriage. The Picture Magazine/public domain
Museum exterior Rob Farrow/cc by-sa 2.0
Closeup of the extinct quagga taxidermy specimen Monsieur Mictlan (Atlas Obscura User)
An elephant shrew (centre) and other shrewy beasts Monsieur Mictlan (Atlas Obscura User)
An albino ( and fanged/ tusked ) Asiatic musk deer Monsieur Mictlan (Atlas Obscura User)

The Natural History Museum at Tring was first opened in 1889 to house the extraordinary zoological collection of the eccentric Lionel Walter Rothschild, who was fascinated with exotic animals.

Rothschild was born into a wealthy German banking family, affording him the opportunity to indulge his interests. He spent his life studying wild animals and collecting taxidermy specimens from around the world. A shy but eccentric man, Rothschild was known to pick up guests from the local train station in his zebra-drawn carriage and escort them to his house where kangaroos, ostriches, giant tortoises, camels and even a potentially deadly cassowary bird roamed free on the grounds.

Rothschild’s interest in animals started early in life, and he reportedly announced to his parents at just age seven that he would open a museum for his collection, which was on its way to becoming the largest private zoological collection ever amassed by one person. Sure enough, the Walter Rothschild Zoological Museum was opened at the family’s Victorian estate at Tring Park in 1889.

Now known as the Natural History Museum at Tring, the extensive collection is wonderful to browse. The exhibits include everything from a full-size giant sloth skeleton to real fleas dressed in Mexican traditional clothing, so tiny they have to be viewed through a microscope. There are thousands of specimens collected from all around the world, including some now-extinct creatures like the dodo bird , lesser bilby (a marsupial), passenger pigeon and Tasmanian tiger that you will be hard-pressed to see anywhere else.

By today’s standards, Rothschild’s collection methods are controversial. He would have the animals drawn in their country of origin by an artist, then shot, skinned, and transported to England where they were recreated from the drawings. This technique was prone to some misrepresentation; sharp observers will notice that some of the penguins at the museum were stuffed with the neck fully extended rather than the more natural, relaxed pose, and the polar bear seems to have an almost cheeky smile.

Know Before You Go

Tring Natural History museum is open to the public from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. from Monday to Saturday and from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Sundays. Entrance to the museum and temporary exhibits is free.

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