What's on
During 2013, while we are closed to visitors, curation and scientific research continue. During this period we are offering behind-the-scenes tours so the public can see some of this activity. The tours will run on Tuesday afternoons from 3-5pm and refreshments are included. All tours start at the museum front desk. The tours can be booked through the University online shop by clicking on the title of the tour. Each tour costs £5, and you will receive a confirmation email of your booking.
Follow our blog to find out what’s happening in the museum while we’re closed.
- Temple of creation or where god died?: An architectural tour of the Museum
Explore the Museum’s stunning architecture and building stone, and poke into a few hidden nooks and crannies. Along the way there will be a chance to reflect on the building’s place in the developing scientific understanding of evolution.
28th May
Sorry no wheelchair access / Over 12s - Mary Anning and Elizabeth Philpot
Mary Anning and Elizabeth Philpot were outstanding fossil collectors of the 19th century. Anning’s finds included two new species of plesiosaur and the first British pterosaur, while Philpot and her two sisters specialised in fossil fish. Come and see Anning and Philpot specimens that are not normally on display, as well as archives containing letters from Elizabeth Philpot to William Buckland, the first Reader in Geology at Oxford.
4th June
Sorry no wheelchair access / Over 12s - Entomology highlights tour
Uncover the history of the Museum’s five million specimen-strong insect collections and get up close to some of their treasures, including the oldest pinned insect in the world and David Livingstone’s tsetse fly.
11th June
Wheelchair access for most of the tour / All ages - Beneath the iceberg’s tip: Geology highlights tour
Explore the rarely seen treasure-trove of fossils in a behind-the-scenes tour that journeys from the earliest Precambrian time to the human occupation of ice age Britain a few thousand years ago.
18th June
Sorry no wheelchair access / Over 12s - Dung beetles – nature’s poo-pickers
These fascinating insects not only help remove the world’s daily output of 100 billion kilograms of poo, they also plant trees, reduce parasitic worms in our livestock and stopped Australians wearing corks on their hats. How? Come and find out…
25th June
Wheelchair access for most of the tour / All ages - The curious and beautiful world of crystals
They can change colour, glow in the dark, and even make you see double! Nature’s crystals are not only curious and rather clever, but often stunningly beautiful. Take a look behind the scenes of the Museum’s mineral collection to discover more.
22nd July
Sorry no wheelchair access / Over 12s
Behind the Scenes Tours:
All of the Oxford University Museums offer family friendly activities. To find out about current events download: The Oxford University Museums family friendly leaflet (PDF)
Enquiries regarding events at the Museum should be sent to: info@oum.ox.ac.uk
