Pitt Rivers Museum

The Pitt Rivers Museum stands in Oxford, just east of the Oxford University Museum of Natural History. To reach it, visitors must pass through the natural history building, entering a large rectangular hall with two mezzanine levels and a vaulted ceiling. The space is filled with glass cases, each holding thousands of objects arranged by how they were used rather than by age or origin. The museum began in 1884 when Augustus Pitt Rivers donated his private collection to the University of Oxford on the condition that a permanent anthropology lecturer be appointed. The museum’s unusual typological arrangement reflects Pitt Rivers’ theories about cultural progression. Edward Burnett Tylor became the first anthropology lecturer in the UK after Pitt Rivers’ donation, and Henry Balfour served as the first curator. The collection grew from 22,000 items to over 600,000, largely through donations from colonial officials, travellers, and missionaries. In 2020, the museum removed displays of shrunken heads and other human remains, citing concerns that they reinforced harmful stereotypes. Visitors find a dense display of tools, weapons, and artefacts from around the world, showing how objects evolved in design and function. The Haida house post, a towering totem pole standing 11.36 metres tall, dominates the space. The museum has expanded over time, adding an annex in 2007 and restoring original display cases in 2009. A new entrance platform improves access, and the Clore Duffield Education Centre provides additional learning space. The museum also participates in the Multaka network, offering guided tours led by Arabic-speaking guides for refugees and migrants.