Alfred Denny Museum

About the museum

The Alfred Denny Museum was established in 1905 and is named after Alfred Denny, the first professor of biology at the University of Sheffield. Denny came to Firth College as a biology lecturer in 1884 and stayed for 41 years. He built up the zoology collection to support his teaching, and the museum has been used for undergraduate teaching for more than a century.

At its largest the collection filled three floors of Firth Court. Much of the information about its origins was lost in bombing during the Second World War, and the museum later moved into a room in the modern Alfred Denny Building on Western Bank, where it is smaller than before.

For many years it was open only to staff and students. In 2012 a team of student volunteers refurbished it for its first public opening, held as part of the Festival of the Mind, and a glass foyer now lets students see the displays at any time. The collection covers all the major animal groups, with fully articulated skeletons, a large collection of animals preserved in alcohol, fossils and extinct species. The public can visit on guided tours, which must be booked in advance.

Highlights

• Rare Japanese giant salamander and a caecilian skeleton
• Ichthyosaur and pterosaur fossils and casts
• Skeletons from all major vertebrate groups, including an ostrich and a manatee
• Glass lantern slides given by Henry Clifton Sorby
• Two letters from Charles Darwin to Henry Denny, written in 1865

Permanent exhibition

• Zoology collection – Specimens from all major animal groups, including articulated skeletons, preserved animals and fossils.

Founded

1905

Operated by

University of Sheffield

Admission & discounts

Admission is free.

Tours are free but must be booked through the University online shop; there are 25 places per tour and a waiting list by email. Optional donations are accepted through JustGiving.

Accessibility

• Wheelchair accessible: no information
• Elevator: no information
• Accessible restroom: no information
• Accessible parking: no information
• Service dogs welcome: no information
• Tactile models & exhibits: no information
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials: no information
• Audio description: no information

The museum links to a separate wheelchair accessibility document on its booking page; no details are given on the page itself.

Kids & families

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Getting there & parking

The museum is in the Alfred Denny Building, School of Biosciences, on the Western Bank campus of the University of Sheffield.

Amenities & dining

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Plan your visit