Natural History Museum at Tring

The Natural History Museum at Tring stands on Akeman Street in the Hertfordshire town of Tring. It occupies the former Rothschild family home of Tring Park and was built in 1889 to display Lionel Walter, 2nd Baron Rothschild’s growing collection of mounted animals. The museum opened to the public in 1892 and was donated to the nation in 1937. Lord Rothschild bred zebra–horse hybrids and kept zebras harnessed to his carriage, a habit recalled by the Zebra Cafe inside. A hybrid foal is still on display alongside photographs of his trained zebras. The museum holds one of Britain’s finest collections of stuffed mammals, birds, reptiles and insects. Its six galleries group animals by type: the first shows birds and large carnivores, the third contains fishes and insects, and the sixth displays amphibians, snakes and small mammals. Extinct species such as the quagga, thylacine and great auk are represented, along with reconstructions of the moa and dodo. The dogs’ display traces changes in domestic breeds from tiny lapdogs to racing greyhounds. Visitors find a Discovery Room for children and the Rothschild Room, recreated to show how the family worked. Small special exhibitions appear throughout the year, highlighting specimens usually kept in storage. A blue plaque on the wall honours Dorothea Bate, who led the ornithological department from 1948 to 1951. Outside, the museum sits within Tring Park, offering a quiet setting for a day among rare and remarkable creatures.