From its beginnings as part of the British Museum to its current site at South Kensington, the Natural History Museum has long been a favourite destination and home to one of the world's finest collections of natural objects - some 70 million animals, plants, minerals, rocks and fossils. This study takes the reader on a whirlwind journey through the history of the Natural History Museum, the people, the influences and the discoveries. It chronicles the more important milestones in the development of the Museum, brings to life the times in which they occurred, and the excitement and sometimes controversy which surrounded many of these events.