Natural History Museum

What Natural History Museum does

The Natural History Museum is a UK non-profit charitable trust founded in 1881 and headquartered at Cromwell Road, South Kensington, London, with a secondary location at Tring, Hertfordshire. It operates two physical visitor venues (London and Tring) housing over 80 million specimens spanning 4.5 billion years of natural history, and is the UK's most visited attraction with 7.1 million visitors in 2025. Core offerings include free permanent galleries (Hintze Hall, Dinosaurs, Mammals, Earth Hall), chargeable temporary exhibitions (Jurassic Oceans, Wildlife Photographer of the Year, Visions of Nature, Our Story with David Attenborough), educational programs for schools, an online shop, F&B operations, venue hire, and citizen science initiatives.

Revenue is generated through a diversified, consumer-facing mix: paid exhibitions and ticketed events (transaction fees), a membership program starting at £5/month (recurring subscription), retail and merchandise, food and beverage, donations and patronage, and educational workshops priced from £3.50/child. Distribution is primarily direct-to-consumer through on-site venues and the nhmshop.co.uk online storefront, supplemented by pre-booked school groups and corporate venue hire. General admission to permanent galleries is free, with voluntary donations encouraged at entry.

In January 2026 the Museum launched Agnos Biosciences, its first commercial joint venture with Earlham Institute, commercializing AirSeq rapid DNA air-sequencing technology for pathogen detection across environmental monitoring, agriculture, food safety, and biosecurity. It runs the Darwin Tree of Life Project with the Wellcome Sanger Institute, contributing over 2,500 reference genomes, and has begun licensing ecological datasets for creative and research uses. Technology partnerships with AWS (biodiversity sensors) and Snap (AR experiences) and a sold-out Pokémon retail collaboration point to a deliberate shift toward technology-enabled revenue diversification alongside its traditional museum operations.

Name

Natural History Museum

Legal name

The Trustees of The Natural History Museum, London

Website

https://nhm.ac.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1881

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

The Natural History Museum is a UK non-profit operating two visitor venues (London and Tring) housing over 80 million specimens. It serves the general public, schools, researchers, and members via free permanent galleries, paid exhibitions, retail, F&B, education, and now a commercial DNA-sequencing spin-out.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Natural History Museum & Cultural Institution

NAICS

Museums (71211), Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions (7121), Museums (712110)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900), Retail-Hobby, Toy & Game Shops (5945)

akta.pro primary industry

Natural History Museums (THAJADAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Museums & Heritage Sites (History, Science, Specialty) (BPAGAHAA), Museum, Zoo & Attraction Gift Shops (CRALAJAG), History Museums (THAJADAB)

Keywords

• Natural history museum
• Public museum exhibitions
• Science education programs
• Citizen science research
• Wildlife conservation

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Ticketed Exhibitions and Events: Revenue from paid temporary exhibitions such as Jurassic Oceans, Visions of Nature, and Our Story with David Attenborough, as well as special events and experiences.
2. Membership Program: Recurring membership revenue offering free entry to paid exhibitions, skip-the-queue privileges, discounts in shops and cafes, and access to exclusive areas like the Anning Rooms.
3. Retail and Merchandise: Sale of nature and dinosaur-themed gifts, toys, books, prints, and homeware through on-site shops and online store. Products sourced from organic, recycled, or sustainable materials.
4. Food and Beverage: Operation of cafes and restaurants including T. rex Restaurant, Central Cafe, Earth Hall Cafe, Shake Bar, Garden Kitchen, and Afternoon Tea in The Anning Rooms.
5. Donations and Support: Voluntary donations encouraged at entry, with various support programs including Patronage, corporate partnerships, and general giving.
6. Educational Programs: Revenue from school workshops, shows, and tours, with pricing from £3.50/child, plus exhibition discounts for educational groups from £4 per student.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Natural History Museum operates two public museum venues in London and Tring featuring free permanent galleries and paid temporary exhibitions on natural history, paleontology, and biodiversity. It monetizes through ticketed exhibitions, memberships, retail merchandise, food and beverage, educational programs for schools, venue hire, donations, and a commercialized DNA air-sequencing spin-off technology (AirSeq).

Product overview

The Natural History Museum operates a multi-venue physical attraction business with associated digital services and commercial spin-off technology. The core offering comprises two physical venues (London and Tring) featuring permanent galleries (Hintze Hall, Dinosaurs, Earth Hall, Mammals), chargeable exhibitions (Jurassic Oceans, Wildlife Photographer of the Year, Visions of Nature, Our Story with David Attenborough), and a free gallery (Fixing Our Broken Planet). Supporting services include educational programs (school workshops, audio guides), commercial operations (online shop, venue hire, touring exhibitions), citizen science initiatives (wildlife monitoring, identification services), and a technology spin-off (AirSeq DNA sequencing). The portfolio spans physical visitor experiences, digital content, retail, education, research support, and commercialized scientific technology.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Natural History Museum London (South Kensington) The primary museum venue located in South Kensington, London, offering free entry to permanent galleries including the iconic Hintze Hall with Hope the blue whale skeleton, dinosaurs gallery, and Earth Hall. Open daily 10:00-17:50. Attracted over 7.1 million visitors in 2025.
• Natural History Museum at Tring Satellite museum location in Tring, Hertfordshire, housing the Rothschild collection of mounted specimens including mammals, fish, and birds. Open Tuesday-Sunday with free entry.
• Jurassic Oceans: Monsters of the Deep Exhibition A major temporary paid exhibition exploring ancient marine reptiles and prehistoric ocean life, featuring ichthyosaurs, plesiosaurs, mosasaurs, megalodon, and Teleosaurus. Open until 3 January 2027.
• Wildlife Photographer of the Year Exhibition An annual photography competition and exhibition showcasing award-winning images of wildlife from around the world, with categories including Mammals, Birds, Under Water, and Urban Wildlife.
• Our Story with David Attenborough A 360-degree cinematic experience featuring Sir David Attenborough, exploring the natural world, running until August 2026.
• Visions of Nature A mixed reality experience transporting visitors to the year 2125 to explore the future of the natural world using AR and VR technologies. Tickets from £9.95.
• NHM Online Shop

Named customers1 record

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability5 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Smithsonian InstitutioncoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 June 2026The Smithsonian is one of the institutional partners providing ecological datasets for Refik Anadol's 'Machine Dreams: Rainforest' exhibition at Dataland museum in Los Angeles. The Natural History Museum contributed data to this custom Large Nature Model built on ecological datasets from 16 rainforests.
• Cornell Lab of OrnithologycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 June 2026The Cornell Lab of Ornithology partnered with the Natural History Museum as part of the institutional collaboration providing ecological datasets for AI art installations at Dataland museum in Los Angeles.
• Wellcome Sanger InstitutecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 April 2026The Wellcome Sanger Institute coordinates the Darwin Tree of Life Project alongside the Natural History Museum, which has sequenced 30% of the world's biodiversity genomes and contributed over 2,500 reference genomes openly available.
• Earlham InstitutecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026The Natural History Museum and Earlham Institute launched Agnos Biosciences, a joint venture spin-out company marking the Museum's first venture. The company's AirSeq technology enables rapid detection of airborne pathogens through DNA sequencing, developed over years of research funded by UK and US public sources including DARPA.
• Snap Inc.coreTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2026Natural History Museum Abu Dhabi (a separate institution) announced a strategic collaboration with Snap Inc. to launch augmented reality experiences featuring Jurassic-era dinosaurs, a full-scale Blue Whale, and prehistoric environments using mobile AR and Snap Spectacles, beginning in early 2026.
• Pokémon Company InternationalminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2026Pokémon Company International partnered with the Natural History Museum in London for a sold-out 'Pokécology' themed pop-up shop running from 26 January to 19 April 2026, featuring exclusive merchandise including an oversize Pokémon TCG Promo Card.
• Refik AnadolminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRenowned digital artist whose 'Machine Dreams: Rainforest' exhibition at Dataland museum utilized ecological datasets from the Natural History Museum along with 15 other institutions to create an immersive AI art installation.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Science Museum (London): Adjacent London cultural institution in the same South Kensington museum corridor. Overlaps on science education, exhibitions, and family audiences but focuses on technology and engineering rather than natural history; part of the same UK government-funded cultural ecosystem.
• Tate: UK national collection of art operating across four UK sites with comparable scale, free general admission at core venues, paid exhibitions, membership programme, and commercial retail/F&B. Strongly comparable operating model even though subject matter (art) differs from natural history.
• Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A): London cultural institution with similar scale, free general admission, paid temporary exhibitions, membership programme, retail, and education revenue mix. Different subject matter (art and design) but a closely analogous operating and revenue model in the same UK cultural funding context.

Direct peers

• Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History: Largest natural history museum in the world, operating as part of the Smithsonian Institution. Directly comparable in research intensity, exhibition programming, education, and free general admission. NHM has an active data partnership with the Smithsonian.
• Museum für Naturkunde Berlin: Berlin's natural history museum, a major European peer with comparable collections in paleontology and biodiversity research, similar research/museum hybrid operating model, and German public funding structure.
• Field Museum: Chicago natural history museum with globally recognised collections, paid exhibitions (e.g., SUE the T.rex), and a research-driven operating model. Closest US peer to NHM's blend of iconic specimens and active science programs.
• Carnegie Museum of Natural History: Pittsburgh-based natural history museum with similar collections strength (dinosaurs including Dippy predecessor specimens), research programs, and a comparable mix of paid exhibitions, education, and membership revenue.
• Naturalis Biodiversity Center: Leiden-based natural history museum and research institute combining public exhibitions with active taxonomy and biodiversity research — a direct European counterpart in size, mission, and research-commercial hybrid model.
• American Museum of Natural History: New York-based natural history museum with comparable scale, comparable collections (dinosaurs, dioramas, deep research) and a similar mix of exhibitions, membership, retail, and education revenue streams. Closest international peer in mission and operating model.

Regional players

• Natural History Museum Abu Dhabi: Separate but institutionally affiliated natural history museum opening in the Saadiyat Cultural District. Shares the NHM brand and IP framework (including the Snap Inc. AR partnership) but serves a Middle Eastern audience and is not a direct competitor for London visitors.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/NHM_London
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/nhm London
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/natural-history-museum
• Instagraminstagram.com/nhm_london
• Facebookfacebook.com/naturalhistorymuseum

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Natural History Museum