Bell Pettigrew Natural History Museum

06/02/2020

🐻🎶 Tomorrow morning in the Bell Pettigrew Museum: Baby MUSA is turning in to Wee Wardlaws! Featuring stories, songs, art & messy play, we'll discover lots of animals on display with this month's theme 'Down in the Jungle'. 10:15am-11:15am. #Wardlaw2020

PLEASE NOTE: We will be closing this Bell Pettigrew Museum page soon. All content relating to the Museums will be posted on the Museums of the University of St Andrews.

🦘🦝🦜🎶 Join us at the Bell Pettigrew Museum tomorrow morning for something a little different...Baby MUSA is turning in to Wee Wardlaws! Featuring stories, songs, art and messy play, we'll discover lots of animals on display with this month's theme, Down in the Jungle! Drop in any time from 10:15am - 11:15am. #Wardlaw2020

01/02/2020

A fantastic opportunity to research the collections that make up the Bell Pettigrew Museum of Natural History. Proposals are invited for a fully-funded PhD scholarship working with the Museums of the University of St Andrews and St Andrews School of History.

PLEASE NOTE: We will be closing this Bell Pettigrew Museum page soon. All content relating to the Museums will be posted on the Museums of the University of St Andrews.

Are you passionate about museums and their collections? We have a fantastic opportunity to research the collections that make up the Bell Pettigrew Museum of Natural History.

Proposals are invited for a fully-funded PhD scholarship working with the Museums of the University of St Andrews and the School of History. The University of St Andrews United College Scholarship will be awarded to a PhD project researching either the University’s natural historical collections, or the collections that became the Bell Pettigrew Museum.

The Bell Pettigrew Museum opened to the public in 1912, displaying natural history specimens alongside other collections and today, the Museum displays include fossils and skeletons, taxidermy specimens, and spirit collections.

Find out more: www.st-andrews.ac.uk/history/news/title-79272-en.php

📷: St Andrews University Library Special Collections, Photographic Collection, 1910

30/01/2020

Museums of the University of St Andrews

Museums of the University of St Andrews

Join us at the new Wardlaw Museum this Spring and step inside the University of St Andrews.

The Museum will showcase our extraordinary art, history, science and natural history collections, some of which have never been seen on display before.

Over the coming weeks we'll be revealing a few of the remarkable objects that will take pride of place in the new museum when it opens, exploring the stories of groundbreaking research and our global impact.

Curious?

Follow along and tell us what you make of the objects as we share them.

#Wardlaw2020

25/01/2020

Museums of the University of St Andrews

In celebration of Burns Night and his famous poem Tae a Mouse, we are featuring our own wee, sleekit, cow'rin, tim'rous beastie - the St Kilda House Mouse (Mus musculus muralis).

This specimen was found on the remote St Kilda archipelago off northwest Scotland, 41 miles west of North Uist in the Outer Hebrides. The St Kilda Mouse, now extinct, evolved from introduced house mice but it was larger than the common house mouse and is an example of the phenomenon of island gigantism.

The human population of St Kilda fell to 36 individuals in 1930 and they requested to be evacuated. After 8 years of survival the St Kilda Mouse became extinct because of their reliance on human habitation for food.

As Burns said - The best laid schemes o’ Mice an’ Men/Gang aft agley!

Photograph © Sean Dooley. All rights reserved. Image courtesy of the University of St Andrews Library [2014-2-33].

14/01/2020

Museums of the University of St Andrews

We're delighted to announce that we have been awarded a grant by the Museum Development Fund to survey and manage hazardous objects in our collections.

Items include this Gwembe Tonga fertility doll made from elephant dung and decorated with irritant and highly toxic abrus seeds. Collected by St Andrews anthropologist Ladislav Holý during his fieldwork in Zambia in the 1960s and 1970s, it will be on display in the new Wardlaw Museum, opening this Spring.

Thank you, Museums Galleries Scotland!

17/12/2019

Museums of the University of St Andrews

🌎🌎 Is it just me or is this sloth reeeeeaaaaalllllyyyyyy slow?
These sloth specimens are just part of the collection in the Bell Pettigrew. Hailing from South America, this particular sloth is an Unau, or three-toed sloth.

Taxidermy is a preservation technique, and sometimes seen as an art form, that preserves certain parts of an animal for later examination and study. It can also be used in preserving skins and mounts. These pieces are examples of a skeletal preservation and a skin preservation. Sometimes the taxidermied animals are posed and staged to look like they’re still alive!

The good news is that on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, Sloths are doing fairly well😀👍

Happy #TaxidermyTuesday!

16/11/2019

Museums of the University of St Andrews

It's the last day of the Fringe of Gold Festival here at the University of St Andrews and we are delighted to welcome the University of St Andrews Music Centre Wind Quartet to the Bell Pettigrew Museum this afternoon.

A free performance of zoologically inspired music starting at 2:30 pm - 3:15 pm

#windchambermusic #musicinmuseums

11/11/2019

Museums of the University of St Andrews

Join us this Thursday for the Bell Pettigrew Sessions, featuring singer-songwriter Kyra Ho, accoustic melodies from Ally Addison and indie-rock from Marine Anthropology, all in St Andrews' quirkiest venue.
First act at 7:30pm, entry free.

31/10/2019

Museums of the University of St Andrews

Museums of the University of St Andrews

Haha yesterday we said we didn't have any potions........but it's Baby MUSA tomorrow and we can't have a Baby MUSA Halloween without......green slime😂🎃👻

Come to the @BellPettigrewMuseum tomorrow for Baby MUSA time tomorrow from 10:15 - 11:15 for newborns up to pre - school age. There might be..........SLIME!!!😆👻🎃🦇

14/10/2019

Museums of the University of St Andrews

Liana Flores brought her chilled jazzy vibe to the Bell Pettigrew Sessions last week and we had an awesome time.
We look forward to seeing you at the next one on Thursday 14th November.

10/10/2019

Tonight at the Bell Pettigrew Museum!😁🐧🦓

Tonight's the night!
We're very excited for a night of live music in St Andrews' quirkiest venue with STAR: St Andrews Radio.
Doors open at 7:30pm for an evening of folk rock from Asher the Townhound, beautiful lyrics and acoustic melodies from Liana Flores and electronic beats and great vibes from Annabel Grace.
Free entry, takes place at the Bell Pettigrew Museum of Natural History.
Children must be accompanied by an adult. Some acts may include adult themes and language, parental discretion advised.

10/10/2019

Museums of the University of St Andrews

Tonight's the night!
We're very excited for a night of live music in St Andrews' quirkiest venue with STAR: St Andrews Radio.
Doors open at 7:30pm for an evening of folk rock from Asher the Townhound, beautiful lyrics and acoustic melodies from Liana Flores and electronic beats and great vibes from Annabel Grace.
Free entry, takes place at the Bell Pettigrew Museum of Natural History.
Children must be accompanied by an adult. Some acts may include adult themes and language, parental discretion advised.

09/10/2019

Museums of the University of St Andrews

Spooky, scary skeletons send shivers down your spine. Luckily for us at the Bell Pettigrew Museum, some of our skeletons have been fossilised which means we can still display this little guy hundreds of millions of years later! To start off this spooky Halloween season, our #objectoftheweek is one of our trilobites, a neolenus who lived during the Middle Cambrian, roughly 500 million years ago, in what is now the Rocky Mountains. Thanks to their easily fossilised exoskeleton, we have many examples of this arthropod in the fossil record. How many can you see in the Bell Pettigrew Museum?

08/10/2019

BBC Radio 4 - The Life Scientific, Anne Magurran on how to measure biodiversity

BBC Radio 4 - The Life Scientific, Anne Magurran on how to measure biodiversity

Professor Anne Magurran on how nature is going the same way as our high streets.

04/10/2019

Museum Collections, University of Dundee

It's World Animal Day! We have some very strange ones in the Zoology Museum, including this glass sponge, which scarcely looks like an animal at all!

03/10/2019

Museums of the University of St Andrews

The Bell Pettigrew Sessions are back! Join us and STAR: St Andrews Radio on Thursday 10th October for a night of great music in St Andrews' quirkiest venue.
Featuring folk rock from Asher the Townhound, guitar-based originals and ukulele mash-ups from Liana Flores and a melange of soothing lyrics and easy-listening electronic beats from Annabel Grace Music.
Free entry. Doors open at 7:15pm, first act at 7:30pm. Children must be accompanied by an adult. Some performances may include adult themes and language, parental discretion is advised.

03/10/2019

Museums of the University of St Andrews

Join us at the Bell Pettigrew this October half term for some autumn-inspired activities! 7th – 10th October, explore autumnal woodland habitats, the creatures that live in them, and make your own mini bug hotel. 14th – 18th October, discover creatures getting ready to hibernate and make your very own pine cone creature along with a hidey-hole habitat for it. Materials will be provided but feel free to bring along your own foraging finds!

Events run 2-4pm. No booking necessary, just drop in to the Bell Pettigrew.

#MuseumsUniStA #October #Halfterm #Autumn #Activities #Craft #UniversityofStAndrews

25/09/2019

St Andrews Photography Festival

How can you make fascinating moving pictures with light and shadows? Discover what a shadow is, then play with light and an array of weird and wonderful objects to create amazing shadow artworks that twist, turn and transform. Photographer Kit Martin will be on hand to guide you. (Suitable for ages 3-6 years).

Friday 11th October, 13:00 - 14:00 at the Bell Pettigrew Museum.

The workshop is free but booking is essential. To book email [email protected] or phone 01334 46 1663.

Image Credit: © Kit Martin

#StAndPhotoFest #photoseasonscotland #photography #standrews

06/09/2019

Museums of the University of St Andrews

Everybody walk the dinosaur at Baby MUSA this morning! Join us from 10:15 to 11:15 for dino-themed songs, stories, play and fossils. We look forward to seeing you and your little one at the Bell Pettigrew Museum.

01/09/2019

Museums of the University of St Andrews

It's Doors Open Day today 12 - 4 pm! You're spoilt for choice - we'll have the Senate Room open, Parliament Hall and the COOLEST of them all - the Bell Pettigrew Museum.😀🏛️

#UniversityofStAndrews #DODscot2019 #DoorsOpenDay

30/08/2019

Museums of the University of St Andrews

There's one more chance to see the Bell Pettigrew Museum before we close for the Autumn! Come along on Sunday between 12 and 4 pm for Doors Open Day. We'll be there with some hands on activities as well for all the family!😀🏛️

#DODscot19 #UniversityofStAndrews #BellPettigrewMuseum #NaturalHistory #Museums #familyactivities

30/08/2019

Museums of the University of St Andrews

There's one more chance to see the Bell Pettigrew Museum before we close for the Autumn! Come along on Sunday between 12 and 4 pm for Doors Open Day. We'll be there with some hands on activities as well for all the family!😀🏛️

#DODscot19 #UniversityofStAndrews #BellPettigrewMuseum #NaturalHistory #Museums #familyactivities

22/08/2019

Museums of the University of St Andrews

The Bell Pettigrew Museum will be open for Doors open Day on Sunday September 1st! We are also open 1 – 5 pm Monday to Friday up until then so don’t miss your chance to catch this amazing natural history museum! You can even bring your guitar here for the Bell Pettigrew Sessions later in the year! #MuseumsoftheUniversityofStAndrews #BellPettigrewMuseum #dodscot30 #UniversityofStAndrews #Freshsaints #BellPettigrewSessions #MusicisLove #MusicinMuseums

20/08/2019

Museums of the University of St Andrews

At a reception last night in the Bell Pettigrew Museum our new director, Katie Eagleton spoke about the exciting new plans for a re-imagining of the Museums of the University of St Andrews. Building on the success of 10 years of the much loved MUSA on the Scores the building will reopen as The Wardlaw Museum in Spring 2020.
We will have new permanent exhibitions which will reflect the global reach of the UniversityofStAndrews in the arts, sciences, culture and history. An exciting programme of temporary exhibitions and events will also be announced over the coming months so keep in touch….!
We’ve also had a great summer in the Bell Pettigrew Museum and there’s still time to visit this gem of a natural history museum! We are open from 1 – 5 pm on weekdays until September 1st.

#Creativity #Curiosity #BellPettigrewMuseum #WardlawMuseum #UniversityofStAndrews #Freshsaints #UniversityofStAndrewsClassof2023

20/08/2019

Museums of the University of St Andrews

At a reception last night in the Bell Pettigrew Museum our new director, Katie Eagleton spoke about the exciting new plans for a re-imagining of the Museums of the University of St Andrews. Building on the success of 10 years of the much loved MUSA on the Scores the building will reopen as The Wardlaw Museum in Spring 2020.
We will have new permanent exhibitions which will reflect the global reach of the UniversityofStAndrews in the arts, sciences, culture and history. An exciting programme of temporary exhibitions and events will also be announced over the coming months so keep in touch….!
We’ve also had a great summer in the Bell Pettigrew Museum and there’s still time to visit this gem of a natural history museum! We are open from 1 – 5 pm on weekdays until September 1st.

#Creativity #Curiosity #BellPettigrewMuseum #WardlawMuseum #UniversityofStAndrews #Freshsaints #UniversityofStAndrewsClassof2023

01/08/2019

There's a whole month left to visit The Bell Pettigrew Museum!

Here's Ellen our Head of Public Engagement being a Sugar Glider 😂 a small marsupial possom who loves sugary foods (although Ellen prefers coffee!)

Come along and share your photos of being your favourite animal in the museum. We are open weekday afternoons 1 - 5 pm 😁🐦🦓🐆🦊🐵🦍🐶

31/07/2019

University of St Andrews

Did you know that the Bell Pettigrew Museum of Natural History is open every weekday afternoon during the summer holidays.

Drop in between 2pm to 4pm this week to get a chance to see, handle and make some fantastic fossils.

Follow the signs through St Mary's Quad towards the Bute Building.
http://ow.ly/JmHM50vi9YN

29/07/2019

Activities this week in the museum! 😀🦓🐧

Come to The Bell Pettigrew Museum this week to see our fantastic fossils! Get a chance to handle and make some fossils to discover more about our fascinating world.
Drop in from 2pm to 4pm, Monday to Friday.

19/07/2019

Museums of the University of St Andrews

If you're interested in adult learning opportunities in Fife come along to Parliament Hall tomorrow at the University of St Andrews. (The Bell Pettigrew Museum will also be open...!)😉🐧🦋🐙🦀🦓

15/07/2019

Museums of the University of St Andrews

Today is the start of a week of discovery at The Bell Pettigrew Museum! Come along to find out more about the museum and complete your own trail of discovery. Drop in between 2pm and 4pm any weekday, all ages welcome!

08/07/2019

CANTICUM MEGAPTERAE - Song of the Humpback Whale (16 bit), by Various Artists

CANTICUM MEGAPTERAE - Song of the Humpback Whale (16 bit), by Various Artists

8 track album

05/07/2019

Museums of the University of St Andrews

Join us today for a Teddy Bears' Picnic themed Baby MUSA at the Bell Pettigrew Museum, from 10:15 until 11:15. There'll be songs, games, messy play, a story and lots of fun. Bring your own teddy.
Be bear or be square!

30/06/2019

Museums of the University of St Andrews

Tomorrow is the start of our new Summer Family Favourites events. Come along to The Bell Pettigrew Natural History Museum and join the fun! All ages welcome.

30/06/2019

Museums of the University of St Andrews

Tomorrow is the start of our new Summer Family Favourites events. Come along to The Bell Pettigrew Natural History Museum and join the fun! All ages welcome.

27/06/2019

Museums of the University of St Andrews

Next week our series of Summer Family Favourites will start! These drop-in events will include a range of exciting hands-on activities, games, trails, crafts and lots more over the summer. All events will be held in the Bell Pettigrew Natural History Museum and will be running from 2-4pm on weekdays. Stay tuned for more information on what will be on offer each week.

24/06/2019

Today we welcomed Jenny to the team! She will be here on Monday - Friday from 1 - 5 pm to welcome visitors to the Bell Pettigrew Museum.

Pop in on Tuesday, Thursday and Friday this week and then every afternoon during July and August! We will also have a programme of drop in activities for you to take part in. Keep an eye on our website for more details:

https://www.st-andrews.ac.uk/museums/visit-us/bell-pettigrew/