The Booth Museum of Natural History is the second largest regional natural history museum in Britain. It was founded in 1847 by naturalist and collector Edward Thomas Booth, at a time when the Victorian appetite for natural history was at its height.

Booth’s speciality was ornithology, and during his lifetime he assembled a vast collection of stuffed birds, which were displayed in unique dioramas. The displays were meticulous representations of the birds’ natural habitats.

It is said that Booth’s technique was to shoot the birds, and then create a painting of the area in which the bird had been obtained. He would then go through a very detailed process with a colleague in order to create the perfect composition of bird and habitat, a style that has since been replicated in all of the major world-wide natural history museums.

At Booth’s death in 1890, the museum was home to over 300 cases, which were filled with 236 species. They were left to the Corporation of Brighton with strict instructions to keep the dioramas as they were, with no alterations. The museum was opened to the public in the same year. In 1971, the Booth museum was redesigned a museum of natural history, and the zoological and geological collections of the council were transferred there. Today, as well as Booth’s original collection of birds, there is an astounding collection of flora and fauna, insects, fossils, minerals and rocks, plants and microscopic slides, so there is certainly plenty to see at the museum.

At Brighton’s Museum of Natural History there are plenty of things to do. There is a gift shop that sells a selection of books, postcards, toys and gifts with a natural history theme, as well as sale of tickets for museum events. There are refreshments available, and a children’s play area. Admission is free.

Accommodation near the Booth Museum of Natural History

If you are looking for a bed and breakfast, hotel or guest house near the Booth Museum of Natural History, be sure to check our range of Brighton accommodation. We have over 40 bed and breakfasts in Brighton, all within walking distance to the Booth Museum of Natural History.