Exhibition Road Courtyard

The Exhibition Road Courtyard sits at the centre of South Kensington's remarkable cultural quarter, flanked by some of London's most celebrated institutions. It serves as the open-air gateway to the Natural History Museum, whose Alfred Waterhouse building, completed in 1881, is one of the finest examples of Romanesque Revival architecture in Britain. The terracotta facade, with its intricate carvings of living and extinct species, makes the approach through the courtyard a fitting introduction to the collections within.

Visitors arriving here can access the Natural History Museum through a Reserved Entry Ticket combined with an Audio Tour, which guides guests through the museum's landmark galleries at their own pace. From the famous blue whale skeleton suspended in the Hintze Hall to the extensive Earth and dinosaur collections, the museum draws millions of visitors each year. The courtyard itself connects Exhibition Road to the main entrance, placing guests at the threshold of one of the world's great natural history collections.