New Walk Museum & Art Gallery

Picture this: a dinosaur skeleton hanging out next to an ancient Egyptian mummy. That’s New Walk Museum & Art Gallery for you—a wonderful, weird mash-up of art and science. It’s like someone took a natural history museum and a fine art gallery, shoved them in a blender, and hit “puree.” The result? A place where you can see a death mask and a dodo skeleton in the same afternoon.

The Fossil That Stole the Show

The star of the museum is arguably a giant, gawky iguanodon. This dinosaur was found right in the local area—Leicestershire’s own prehistoric celebrity. Its bones were discovered in a quarry, and it’s one of the best-preserved iguanodons in the UK. But here’s the kicker: the museum staff once had to reassemble it after a bomb blast in WWII. Talk about a Jurassic sparkle makeover.

Toilet Humor, Victorian Style

Nothing says “art gallery” like a Victorian public toilet. I’m serious—the museum’s entrance courtyard used to be a urinal. It was a fancy one, with mosaic tiles and ironwork. Now it’s a peaceful garden, but you can still imagine Victorian gents stumbling out after a pint. History isn’t always pretty—but it’s always funny.

Mummies and Mystery Illness

Meet Pa-en-Ist, the museum’s Egyptian mummy from around 600 BC. He’s been unwrapped, studied, and even CT-scanned. And here’s the gross part: they think he died of the plague. So you’re basically staring at a 2,600-year-old public health warning. Bleak? Sure. But also a little badass.

Oh, and his toenails are painted. The ancient Egyptians loved a good pedicure.

New Walk Museum and Art Gallery (Leicester) - Besucherinformationen

Art That Spills the Tea

The art collection includes works by J.M.W. Turner and Thomas Gainsborough. But the real drama comes from the “Spode Room”. It’s full of blue-and-white porcelain that looks elegant—until you learn that one vase was smashed by a cleaning lady in 1912. They glued it back together, and it’s still on display. Every crack tells a story. Maybe don’t dust too enthusiastically.

The Pantry of Death

There’s a Victorian natural history cabinet called the “Wyatt Collection.” It’s a cabinet of curiosities packed with stuffed birds, pickled reptiles, and taxidermy from the 1800s. But the best part? One drawer contains a jar labeled “Two-headed lamb.” Spoiler: it’s exactly what you think. It’s creepy, it’s cute, and it’s definitely not going on my mantelpiece.

Picasso and the Pigeon

You can see a Picasso print next to a stuffed pigeon in the same gallery. There’s no grand reason—it’s just how the curators like it. One minute you’re pondering cubism, the next you’re making eye contact with a taxidermy bird. It’s chaotic, but in the best way. Who says art can’t have feathers?

New Walk Museum - Story of Leicester

The Earthquake That Changed Everything

In 1862, a massive earthquake in South America shook up the museum’s collection. Seriously—a local geologist’s rocks from Peru tumbled off the shelves. They now display the broken bits as a historical artifact of the disaster. So you can see the damage and the aftermath. Talk about a rocky relationship with gravity.

A Final Weirdo: The Lion That’s Not a Lion

In the foyer, there’s a massive stuffed lion named “Nelson.” He’s the pride of the collection—but guess what? He’s actually a lioness. The taxidermist got the mane wrong. For over a century, everyone just went along with it. Nelson doesn’t care. She’s a queen, and she knows it.

So go to New Walk Museum. Open your mind, laugh at the absurdity, and maybe bring a friend to hold your mummy-phobia hand. It’s free, it’s fun, and it’s gloriously weird.