WOW

Come with me on a journey connecting the solar system with the ground beneath your feet. No, go even deeper than that to the very core. The DNA that makes you you; where the past, present, and future collide in a triumphant spectacle of the molecular and the mega; where life, death and the very essence of creation occupy a magical auditorium of cathedral elegance; where the mysteries of nature are forensically explored, documented, and revered with skill, passion, and love; where the disparate strands of the earth elements, wildlife, minerals and flora, and the matter between and around meet in an explosion of vivid wonder and enchantment. The epicentre of this pure brilliant energy? The Natural History Museum, London.

I had been invited to this most unique place by the effervescent Gerry Hey, head of collection management systems, and as I awaited her arrival at the Exhibition Road entrance, I took a moment to drink in the splendour of the architecture. I had been here many times; as a curious kid with my parents, on several school trips, and later in life with my children too – not forgetting the timesIhadvisitedonmyownwheninthecapitalonbusiness. Yettoday was going to be different as I would be offered glimpses of what lay behind and below the public galleries. When speaking to Gerry