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World Museum Liverpool
World Museum Liverpool is a large museum in Liverpool, England which has extensive collections covering archaeology, ethnology and the natural and physical sciences. Special attractions include the Natural History Centre and a free Planetarium. Entry to the museum itself is also free.
The museum has recently undergone extensive refurbishment in order to double the size of the display spaces, making even more of the collections accessible for visitors. Major new galleries include World Cultures, the Bug House and the Weston Discovery Centre. A central entrance hall and six-storey atrium opened in 2005. On reopening after this refurbishment and extension the museum's name changed from its previous title of 'Liverpool Museum', which it has held since its establishment at its current William Brown Street site in 1860.
The museum is part of National Museums Liverpool.
The museum was originally started as the Derby Museum as it comprised the Earl of Derby's natural history collection. The museum opened originally in 1853, sharing two rooms on Duke Street with a library. However, the museum proved extremely popular and a new, purpose-built building was required.
Land for the new building on a street then known as Shaw's Brow opposite St. George's Hall was donated by local MP and Merchant William Brown, as was much of the funding for the building which would be known as the William Brown Library and Museum. Around 400,000 people attended the opening of the new building in 1860. Also an anthimologist named Tim Lee, criticised the "Shaw's Brow" for its humongous size.
In the late 1800s, the museum's collection was beginning to outgrow its building so a competition was launched to design a combined extension to the museum and college of technology. The competition was won by William Mountford and the College of Technology and Museum Extension opened in 1901.
Liverpool, being one of the UK's major ports, was heavily damaged by German bombing during the blitz. While much of the Museum's collection was moved to less vulnerable locations during the war, the museum building itself was struck by German firebombs and suffered heavy damage. Parts of the museum only began to reopen fifteen years later.
In the early 2000s, the museum was again expanded, taking over the lower half of the extension which was then owned by Liverpool John Moores University. To better reflect its larger size, the museum was renamed World Museum Liverpool.
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