Natural science showcase at Weston Park Museum with life-size animal figures, a woolly rhino, rocks from Sheffield's geological past, a bird feeder telescope and the 'Beat the Beasts' game.
What On Earth! is the natural science showcase at Weston Park Museum, and it's a good one to keep on your radar if you're in the city. It's anchored by Spike the Woolly Rhino and runs from life-like figures ranging from the tiniest insects to the largest beasts, including a colossal woolly mammoth, alongside rocks formed right here in Sheffield 310 million years ago. The whole display is set against a towering Chatsworth tree, a nod to Sheffield's reputation as the most wooded city in Britain, and it's interspersed with homages to the local area.
There's plenty to actually do rather than just look at. You can spy on birds and insects through a bird feeder telescope, explore the plight of endangered species in the 'Going, going, gone' display, and pit athletes against animals in the digital game 'Beat the Beasts'. If you're in the mood for reading, there are removable folders of nature facts, encyclopaedias, geological and water-cycle displays, and a tribute to the 52 editions of the Sorby Record.
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It's all part of the museum's broader natural science offering, which was supported by a major grant from the National Lottery Heritage Fund. The museum itself opened in 1875 and is home to Snowy the Polar Bear, so there's more to see around the building than just this one display. Entry is free, with a suggested donation of £5. You'll find it at Weston Park Museum, Western Bank, Sheffield S10 2TP.
