Swan skeleton

If you have not been into the Museum for a while you can be sure of a big surprise!

Our entrance foyer is now home to a flock of flying bird skeletons, the most amazing of which is the stunning swan, pictured below. Everyone has been fascinated by the scale of the birds without their flesh and feathers and many people have commented on the similarity of the bird skeletons to dinosaur remains.

The skeletons, which have come from the Museum’s natural history collections, have been mounted and wired to show them in flight. They were specially prepared by taxidermist and osteologist, Luke Williams in Staffordshire - a process which took five months to complete. In addition to the swan there are two robins, two song thrushes, a green woodpecker, a buzzard, a heron, and a guillemot.

The preparation of the skeletons was made possible thanks to a grant of just over £1,000 from the Preservation of Industrial and Scientific Material (PRISM) Grant Fund and such has been the success of the project that it is hoped that some time in the future we may be able to add to the flock and introduce other varieties of birds.

The installation has certainly provided a visual impact to our main foyer space which was revamped in 2008 as part of our ground floor refurbishment scheme. Additional bird skeletons have been added since we re-opened to the public. Why not come in and see them for yourselves?