About
On this page: Facts and figures | The Great Debate | Museum architecture | Contact us | Working for us | Press | Annual reviews | Policies
Oxford University Museum of Natural History was established in 1860 to draw together scientific studies from across the University of Oxford. Today, the award-winning Museum continues to be a place of scientific research, collecting and fieldwork, and plays host to a programme of events, exhibitions and activities for the public and school students of all ages.
Highlights in the collections include the world's first scientifically described dinosaur – Megalosaurus bucklandii – and the world-famous Oxford Dodo, the only soft tissue remains of the extinct dodo.
The Museum is part of the University of Oxford's Gardens, Libraries and Museums and is overseen by the Board of Visitors and supported by Honorary Associates. The Pitt Rivers Museum of anthropology and archaeology adjoins the Museum building, so both places can be enjoyed in a single trip.
Facts and figures

The Great Debate
On 30 June 1860, the Museum hosted a clash of ideologies that has become known as the Great Debate.
Even before the collections were fully installed, or the architectural decorations completed, the British Association for the Advancement of Science held its 30th annual meeting to mark the opening of the building, then known as the University Museum. It was at this event that Samuel Wilberforce, Bishop of Oxford, and Thomas Huxley, a biologist from London, went head-to-head in a debate about one of the most controversial ideas of the 19th century – Charles Darwin's theory of evolution by natural selection.
The Museum architecture
The construction of the Museum was significant in the development of 19th-century architecture, the history of the University of Oxford and in the study and presentation of science in England.
The Museum is as spectacular today as when it opened in 1860. As a striking example of Victorian neo-Gothic architecture, the building's style was strongly influenced by the ideas of 19th-century art critic John Ruskin. Ruskin believed that architecture should be shaped by the energies of the natural world, and thanks to his connections with a number of eminent Pre-Raphaelite artists, the Museum's design and decoration now stand as a prime example of the Pre-Raphaelite vision of science and art.
Contact us
View a list of Museum contacts, structured by department.
Working for us
Find out more about working for us, including vacancies and career profiles.
Press
Annual reports and strategic plan
- OUMNH strategic plan 2017-22
- Annual review 2016-17
- Annual review 2015-16
- Annual review 2014-15
- Annual review 2013-14
- Annual review 2012-13
- Annual review 2011-12
- Annual review 2010-11
- Annual review 2009-08
- Annual review 2008-07
- Annual review 2007-06
- Annual review 2006-07
- Annual review 2005-06
- Annual review 2004-05
- Annual review 2003-04