Oxford Natural History Museum

The Oxford University Museum of Natural History, located on Parks Road in Oxford, England, was built between 1855 and 1860, with the aim to bring together all aspects of science at Oxford. The departments of astronomy, geometry, experimental physics, mineralogy, chemistry, geology, zoology, anatomy, physiology, and medicine initially moved into the building. John Ruskin’s writings directly influenced the building’s neo-Gothic design. The museum consists of a large square court with a glass roof, supported by cast iron pillars, and features cloistered arcades with stone columns each made from a different British stone. The ornamentation of the stonework and iron pillars incorporates natural forms such as leaves and branches, combining Pre-Raphaelitism with the scientific role of the building. Statues of eminent men of science stand around the ground floor of the court—from Aristotle and Bacon through to Darwin and Linnaeus.

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