Walter Rothschild Zoological Museum
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The Walter Rothschild Zoological Museum was once the private museum of Lionel Walter, 2nd Baron Rothschild, and is located in the grounds of the former Rothschild family home of Tring Park, Tring, Hertfordshire in the United Kingdom. It was based around his collection of mounted specimens and first opened to the public in 1892. It is one of the finest collections of stuffed mammals, birds, reptiles and insects in the UK.
The extensive collection, housed in several rooms, includes extinct animals and birds such as the quagga, thylacine, great auk and reconstructions of the moa and dodo. Oddities include hybrids and examples of abnormal coloration. The dogs display was relocated to the Rothschild Zoological Museum from the Natural History Museum, South Kensington, London after World War II. These show how domestic dogs have changed shape due to selective breeding and include the tiny Russian and Mexican Lapdogs as well as famous racing greyhounds.
It became part of the Natural History Museum in 1937. The site is also home to the ornithological research collections (Bird Group, Department of Zoology) and the ornithological library (Department of Library and Information Services) of The Natural History Museum, but these are not open to the public.
There are small special themed exhibitions throughout the year showcasing specimens not normally on display, as well as activities for youngsters.
The museum is best accessed by car. The nearest rail station is at Tring Station (a village in its own right) 2 miles from Tring. Buses and taxis run during commuter times, but are infrequent outside of rush hours and taxis do not wait at the station at weekends. The nearest taxi company is at Berkhamsted. According to museum staff, the reason the rail station is so remote is that Lord Rothschild did not want passing trains to upset his menagerie. He was able to ride to the station in a horse-drawn, or zebra-drawn, carriage.
The museum's Zebra Cafe alludes to Lord Rothschild's love of zebras and has photographs of his trained zebras harnessed to open carriages. He also bred hybrids between zebras and horses (zebroids) and a hybrid foal is on display.
More information about the collecting of animals can be found in the book Dear Lord Rothschild: Birds, Butterflies and History ISBN 0-86689-019-X
[edit] External links
- Rothschild Zoological Museum Home page
- Tring Info The Walter Rothschild Zoological Museum
- Photograph of Museum exterior
