Natural History Museum Tring

The Natural History Museum in Tring’ is a place that has endured and still delights generations of local families.

The historic market town of Tring is a busy commuter town within easy reach of London and the M25. Located on the original Roman Akeman Street, the Natural History Museum (NHM) Tring is in auspicious company. Built in 1889 to house one of the finest zoological collections in private hands, this in a museum frozen in time. The town itself has many connections with the museum and they share a certain vernacular that is easy to recognise: lots of red brick and mock Tudor amidst actual Tudor scattered through the town.

Tring high street looking spike and span

Inside the NHM Tring is a veritable feast of the exotic, elusive, exquisite, extinct and downright delightful exhibits from another age of museum-going. With not a gadget in sight, the slightly surreal setting of sturdy, floor-to-ceiling wooden display cases, drawers and fine cabinets that house thousands of stuffed exhibits that continue to entrance generations of local residents.

The galleries are busy, bustling with families looking for items to capture on their trail sheets and clearly enjoying themselves. You don’t have to be five years old to qualify for the free trails, it’s a pleasure being able to potter. We saw the iconic Chilterns red kite and elusive kingfisher up close alongside exquisite moths and butterflies, and marvelled at the 128-year old tortoise that lived with an assortment of kangaroos and an Emu, in nearby Tring Park.

"Mama, Papa, I'm going to make a museum..."

The museum founder, Lionel Walter Rothschild (1868 - 1937), second Baron Rothschild belonged to the rich and powerful banking dynasty that influenced and shaped the local landscape (and seems to have once owned much of it). He was a keen naturalist from an early age and collected all manor of exotic creatures which he brought back to his private museum in Tring. Famous for riding around town in a carriage pulled by a zebra, local response is not, unfortunately recorded, but I do wonder what they made of it all. But it seems they took it in their stride.

Imagine how much lettuce would have been consumed trying to persuade a giant tortoise down the two miles between Tring station and Tring Park? That is how Walter transported them on their final miles from the Island of Aldabra in the Seychelles via New York to Tring.

On display is more than just stuffed animals, we are looking at a value system and our relationship with wild and domestic creatures. Clearly very different to the Victorians who were raiding the far corner of the world to bring back specimens never seen. The display case of stuffed domestic dogs, a dodo and the famous Tring polar bear which we accept as two of these animals were captured, slain and stuffed long ago, but I was surprised to see some dogs ‘donated’ as late as 1970. Perhaps not such a lost art after all?

Just across the street are the picturesque Louisa Cottages Alms Houses on Akeman Street, built in 1893.

Dressed to kill

Without a doubt, my favourite are the pulgas vestidas, the set of costumed figures placed in tiny matchboxes to create dramatic flea scenes. Brilliant! Dressed up fleas were a popular souvenir in Mexico, sold to tourists in the early 1900’s. These dressed up fleas were made about 1905 by the mother of a large family, who sat up late at night to dress the fleas which her children caught for her from the family cats and dogs. I hope she made a good living.

Some of the galleries have been overhauled to improve presentation and durability of the exhibits, but this is no fusty-musty museum. It’s a place to go and get away from screens and wonder at past lives and trips to far off places. And it's free!

The content is copyright of Mary Tebje and may not be reproduced without permission. If you enjoyed this post, please share and give it a ❤️