A slice through the trunk of a Giant Sequoia tree with an estimated age of over 1300 years. This sits at the top of the staircase, above the Diplodocus, in the Central Hall.

This is the Diplodocus mentioned above and, at 105 feet, was one of the longest land animals ever to live. There are 356 bones in this skeleton.

A floor to ceiling case displaying a Pliosaur skeleton. Pliosaurs were part of a group of short-necked carnivorous marine reptiles known as Plesiosaurs.

This specimen was discovered near Whitby, Yorkshire and is to be found in the corridor connecting the Central Hall and the Earth Hall. There is a restaurant opposite this exhibit.

The Earth Hall is a rather dramatic start to a series of galleries about the Earth's natural history. The walls either side are, apparently, lined with slate.

Travelling up the escalator, through the planet, takes you to the start of a journey through the various galleries which detail the natural forces affecting the earth, the minerals it produces, the effect we have on it and its place in the universe.