The 26-metre-long skeletal cast of Dippy the Diplodocus, in the Natural History Museum (Johnny Green/PA)
(Picture: PA Wire)Dippy the dinosaur is finally home after five years away from the Natural History Museum.
The 26-metre-long replica diplodocus will go on show to the public from Friday in a new installation in the Waterhouse Gallery featuring the thoughts of some of the two million people who saw it during its nationwide tour.
Museum director Doug Gurr said: “We are beyond thrilled to welcome Dippy home to the Natural History Museum. He will bring a smile to visitors’ faces this summer at the Natural History Museum.
“While on tour Dippy encouraged people to engage with nature and inspired them to protect it, and we hope that our new installation will continue to do just that.”
Some of the first people to see it were students from Canary Wharf College who got an advance look at the famous installation and also learned about its unique history. Dippy is a plaster cast replica of the bones of a real dinosaur unearthed in Wyoming around the turn of the century which is on show in Pittsburgh.
Philanthropist Andrew Carnegie paid for it and sent it to Britain in 36 crates on a steam boat. It became an immediate hit. Dippy has been displayed in different rooms including the reptiles gallery, Hintze Hall and even in the basement where it was sheltered during Second World War bombing raids.
Bosses are looking for a new home for it after its current run ends on January 2. They have asked venues across the country to apply for the “long-term loan” of the piece.
The Natural History Museum said it did not just want traditional museums to apply but was “encouraging venues with an indoor space big enough to house the diplodocus cast” to consider an application. They will be asked to show how Dippy’s presence can “benefit their audiences, venue and region”.
