Once
upon a time,
animals and plants lived undisturbed by human beings. Now that we have taken over, wildlife in Portsmouth is just an echo of its former self
- but what an echo! We have one of the most exciting places in the
country for wildlife - the mudflats, marshes, seashores, woodland,
grassland and built-up areas of the city mean we can attract all sorts
of different species right to our front door.
Languages 
Cumberland House
Natural History Museum
Entrance to the Natural History Museum at Cumberland House is now FREE!
Portsmouth is a very special place for wildlife in Britain. It has many different habitats in a very small area, and at Portsmouth Natural History Museum you can explore them all.
The museum tells the story of the wild things of the riverbank, marshes, woods and urban areas of Portsmouth. Have a look for the heron stalking its prey and the Brent geese coming into land after their 3000 km flight from the arctic. You can also learn about Portsmouth's geology and take a look in the new exhibition room. The displays are designed to allow visitors a view of the natural world as they could never see it in real life - up close and in depth.
Portsmouth Natural History Museum also houses an aquarium and butterfly house. The butterflies fly from May to September, and fish swim all year round. Also look out for the axolotls, Ebony and Ivory, and the other live insects on display.
Summer 2009 - temporary closure of butterfly house only
While Cumberland House and the butterfly house are getting some much needed maintenance work we regret that we are unable to open the butterfly house during this summer until further notice. The rest of Cumberland House remains open as usual. We do apologise for the inconvenience.
New exhibition for 2009!
A new exhibition at the Museum has been opened. ‘Art and Nature’ combines pictures and creatures to show how artists are inspired by nature. By bringing the two together, people can see the inspirations behind art works and explore the nature that lives in the habitats portrayed.
All pictures are copyright of Portsmouth Museums
and Record Service
