Iconic Dippy the dinosaur back at Natural History Museum

The iconic diplodocus cast named Dippy the dinosaur has returned to London’s Natural History Museum.

Children from Canary Wharf College welcomed the nation’s favourite dinosaur back to the museum earlier this week.

The diplodocus cast is back at the museum for a limited time with the public welcomed into the exhibit from Friday, May 27.

Dippy’s full skeleton in its displayed pose is 26 metres long, 4.3 metres wide and 4.17 metres high.

Named Dippy Returns, the installation is free to visit, with tickets available to book now, and runs until January 2, 2023.

It celebrates the landscapes visited by Dippy around the UK on its national tour, which saw more than 2m people visit the dinosaur up and down the country over the last three years.

Every venue Dippy visited reported record-breaking visitor numbers.

While one report found Dippy on Tour brought in £36m across the eight regions visited.

Dr Doug Gurr, museum director, said: “We are beyond thrilled to welcome Dippy home to the Natural History Museum.

“Always proving popular and having just completed a smash hit tour where over 2 million people around the UK visited our Jurassic giant, we are certain Dippy will bring a smile to visitor’s faces this summer at the Natural History Museum.

‘While on tour Dippy encouraged people to engage people with nature and inspired them to protect it, and we hope that our new installation will continue to do just that.

“At a time when biodiversity is under threat it is more important than ever to protect the natural world and build a future where both people and planet thrive.’

Pupils from Canary Wharf College were among the first to see Dippy this week.

Students enjoyed a talk about the biology and ecology of the diplodocus and learned about Dippy’s unique history, including being on display at the museum for over a hundred years.

The famous diplodocus cast will be on display in the museum’s Waterhouse gallery, where it was previously displayed in the 1970s.

Dippy was the first diplodocus to go on display anywhere in the world when it was gifted to the museum in 1905

The Natural History Museum is currently seeking a new partner to host Dippy a long-term loan at the conclusion of the installation. Venues can apply now to host Dippy here.

Dippy Returns: The nation’s favourite dinosaur runs from 27 May - 2 January 2023 and free tickets can be booked here.