The Natural History Museum is opening two galleries that have been closed for decades

"The Natural History Museum in South Kensington plans to open two spaces, one of which hasn't been seen by visitors since World War II. The aptly named Old General Herbarium has not been seen by Londoners since 1948 and is set to launch in 2026 as a pop-up Hidden Histories gallery. Origins gallery, which has been shut since 2004, will also reopen as a 'Land and Air gallery' sometime before the institution's 150th birthday in 2031."

"Both spaces currently house some of the museum's huge behind-the-scenes collection. But to get the rooms ready will require a serious logistical battle and the transfer of millions of specimens, from tiny beetles to fossils. As reported in the , the NHM has 80 million specimens, and for every taxidermied animal you see on display, there are at least 3,000 more specimens in storage."

"Around 38 million specimens are set to move next year, some within the South Ken building and others will be moved to the Thames Valley Science Park, a multimillion-pound research centre near Reading. The man behind the plans is Doug Gurr, who's been director of the Natural History Museum since 2020. He has set the ambitious target to keep updating the institution by introducing 'one new thing a year' until 2031, the Times reported."

The Natural History Museum in South Kensington will reopen the Old General Herbarium as a pop-up Hidden Histories gallery in 2026 and reopen the Origins gallery as a Land and Air gallery before its 150th anniversary in 2031. Both rooms currently hold large parts of the museum's behind-the-scenes collections and will require transferring millions of specimens, from beetles to fossils. The NHM holds about 80 million specimens, with roughly 3,000 items in storage for every taxidermied animal on display. Around 38 million specimens will move next year to locations within South Kensington and to the Thames Valley Science Park near Reading. The reopenings form part of the NHM Unlocked programme, funded by government, aiming to showcase collections and create scientific hubs to address issues including the climate crisis. Director Doug Gurr plans to introduce one new thing each year until 2031.

Read at Time Out London