Alfred Denny Museum

Named after the department's first Professor of Zoology, Alfred Denny, the museum was established in 1905 and has been used for undergraduate teaching for more than 100 years. Many of the specimens have been in the museum since the early 1900s when collecting was at its peak. The history of the museum is interwoven with that of the University and it's foundation. It also shares links with many influential scientists and naturalists from Sheffield such as Henry Seebohm, Dr. H.C. Sorby and Arthur Doncaster, whose collections we hold.

The museum contains specimens belonging to all of the major animal groups, both marine and terrestrial, from habitats across the world, ranging from large elephant skulls to minuscule insects barely visible to the human eye. For fans of the prehistoric we hold a number of fossil casts and model replicas of now-extinct animals, from the terror bird to the ichthyosaur. Due to its nature as a teaching museum, there are a number of unique items, such as our double specimens - part skeleton and part taxidermy - which illustrate how the skeleton of an animal supports its body.

Timings & Tours

Saturday 14 September:

Tours: 1000, 1100 and 1200

Location & directions

Alfred Denny Museum, School of Biosciences, Alfred Denny Building, University of Sheffield, Western Bank, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, S102TN

Directions:

All tours start in the foyer of the Alfred Denny Building, from which guides will take visitors up to the museum. We recommend travelling to the Museum via public transport as we are unable to offer parking on the University campus and the nearby public 'pay and display' parking is very limited. Buses: A number of regular bus services stop at or near the University. The most frequent of these are the 51, 52 and 95 from the city centre and the 120 from Sheffield Transport Interchange. Trams: You can catch the Supertram to the campus from Meadowhall, the railway station and the city centre. Both the blue route to Malin Bridge and the yellow route to Middlewood stop at West Street and at the University.

Booking information

Pre-booking requirement:

Pre-booking required

Booking conditions:

Guided tours must be booked in advance through the University of Sheffield system (see link). There are a limited number of places so we recommend booking early. Tickets for this event will go live on 11am of Wed 7th August. If you have any queries please contact [email protected]

Booking website:

https://www.sheffield.ac.uk/alfred-denny-museum/book-your-place

Booking opens:

06 Aug 2024 11:00 AM

Booking closes:

13 Sep 2024 12:00 AM

Accessibility details

The museum + associated displays have lift access and are wheelchair accessible however, it can be difficult to manoeuvre while inside the museum (especially when busy) due to narrow spaces between cabinets. There is seating available upon request within the museum. No food or drink aside from bottled water is allowed within the museum. It should be noted that the museum contains specimens which could trigger phobias including (but not limited to) arachnophobia, trypophobia, necrophobia.

Additional information

Food and drink is not permitted inside the museum, with the exception of bottled water.

Max no of people per tour:

25

Est. tour duration:

0 hour(s) 55 minute(s)

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