The List

World Museum

Liverpool's World Museum has extensive collections of archaeology, ethnology and the natural and physical sciences. The museum opened in 1851, although was originally known as Derby Museum after the Earl of Derby's natural history collection. The museum was heavily damaged by bombing during the blitz, though much of the collection was moved to safer locations. The building itself greatly suffered, meaning large parts of the museum were inaccessible for some time. Today, the World Museum is free to visit and boasts over 1.7 million artefacts and specimens. Special attractions include the Natural History Centre, which has many interactive and hands-on exhibits and a planetarium where kids can see a range of shows about space. There are two cafes in the museum; one on the ground floor and one on the fifth floor. In the shop, you can find books, jewellery, crafts, food and gift ideas as well as souvenirs and toys for kids. World Museum is in Liverpool city centre, close to the entrance to the Queensway Tunnel and Lime Street station. There is pay and display parking outside the museum on William Brown Street and behind the museum on Hunter Street. The nearest other car park is at Queen Square.

What's On @ World Museum

Short Course: Introduction to Ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs
In this short course participants will get a thorough introduction to reading Ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs and learn how to begin to read real Egyptian inscriptions. Hieroglyphs were used for well over 3000 years to write the Egyptian language in monumental settings and was the script some of the most important texts were written in. In this course we will look at the basics of how to read real hieroglyph inscriptions, using real texts from monumental settings in Egypt as well as texts from the collections at World Museum Liverpool. No prior knowledge of hieroglyphs is needed and although no knowledge of Ancient Egypt is required, a basic understanding of the culture and history will be beneficial to participants. We aim to make our courses as accessible as possible and if there is anything we can put into place to help you attend please get in contact.
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Spotlight Day: Dinosaurs and the Bone Wars at World Museum
Scandal! Treachery! Fortunes! Foul Play! Dinosaurs! During this study day we will not only look at what makes a fossil a dinosaur and how to recognise them but also the lives and shenanigans of Professors Othniel Charles Marsh and Edward Drinker Cope as they dig, publish and decry each other over several decades in what became known as the Bone Wars! There have been many scientists that have brought the dinosaurs to life within those two centuries but two rise above the rest from the beginning during the gilded age of science: both desperate to outdo each other to gain the prize of becoming Americas leading academic in the new subject of Vertebrate Palaeontology. What started out as friendship then turned to rivalry before an all-consuming personal war of dirty tricks and scandalous newspaper headlines that damaged the reputations not only of the scientists involved but the entire scientific community of the young United States. Itinerary: 11am-12pm What makes a dinosaur a dinosaur? (Short slide show & object handling) 12pm-1pm Bone Wars lecture 1-2pm Break for lunch 2pm-3pm Meet on Gallery for a short tour and any questions.
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Identification Workshop: Assasin Bugs and Damsel Bugs
This Assassin bug and Damsel bug workshop led by Jim Flanagan will cover the identification, biology and current distribution of 23 species. These two important groups of predatory terrestrial bugs play an important role in the ecological function of many habitats. Specimens will be available to study from the museum's collection as well as the tutor’s own using microscopes along with draft keys. The aim is to help raise knowledge and awareness of these two groups of predatory bug and to help recorders submit good reliable records of their sightings of these to iRecord. Our tutor: Jim has been the recorder for true bugs (covering the shieldbugs, plantbugs, groundbugs and other groups along with plant and leafhoppers) for the Sorby Natural History Society (based in Sheffield) for around twenty years. He is also organiser for the national recording scheme for Plantbugs and allied families.
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