Tring Zoological Museum (British Museum Natural History)

TRING PARK STREET SP 9211 (North side) 11/99 Tring Zoological Museum - (British Museum: Natural History) GV II Museum. SW part 1889 by William Huckvale for 1st Baron Rothschild as 21st birthday present to Lionel Walter Rothschild (1868-1937) later 2nd Baron. Builder J.Honour and Sons. Museum block W wing part of same scheme completed and opened to public 1892. Library addition on E side of W wing 1908. L-shaped extension of N and E wings completed 1910. Etymological gallery to NE 1912-13 demolished 1969 for new building 1972 which is not of special interest. Red brick with mullioned stone windows, cusped red tilehanging, half timbering, and steep red tiled roofs. Oldest part at SW in form of 2, 2-storeys houses facing S. Tall L-shaped W house has a projecting front gabled wing with 2-storeys rectangular bay window with gabled half timbered top. Half timbering to upper part of gable but red tilehanging to E return. Pilastered glazed wooden porch with door, in RH return with full entablature. Date stone '1889' over transomed stone window to 1st floor. Projecting gable chimneys. Lord Rothschild's study is preserved on the 1st floor. A lower 2-storeys caretaker's house adjoins set back on E. Front has 2 half-timbered gables over 2, 3-light flat oriel windows set in tilehung jettied 1st floor. 2 3-light flush casement windows with segmental arches to ground floor and gabled open timber porch between. E gable half timbered with Rothschild plaque set in brickwork of ground floor. Tall projecting E gable chimney. Much taller Dutch-gabled red brick museum building to rear has blind arcading on W. A windowless 2-storeys galleried hall with bow-string steel trusses, cantilevered stone gallery and ornamental iron handrail. Some small cases are cantilevered from handrail with wooden closing shutters. 3 and 5 half timbered gables on N and E ranges round courtyard. High basement with small 2-light segmental arched windows, tall stone transomed and mullioned stone windows to high ground floor with broken pediments in N range to 2 windows flanking semi-octagonal battlemented porch with 4 stone steps to 4-centred arched stone doorway with label and panelled double doors. Similar porch into S part of E range. 2-storeys stone framed rectangular gabled 2-storeys bay window on S end of E range.

Listing NGR: SP9242711096