London's Natural History Museum is set to reopen a gallery that has been closed to the public since 1943, when it was repurposed to house botanical collections after the original herbarium was damaged during the Second World War. From 16 September, the space will host a new exhibition called Nature and Us, part of the museum's NHM150 transformation project, which aims to unveil a new or refreshed gallery each year in the run-up to the institution's 150th anniversary in 2031.

The gallery, located on the second floor of the museum's Waterhouse Building, will display 50 objects exploring humanity's evolving relationship with the natural world, including a miniature Crystal Palace dinosaur model, the skeleton of a Victorian monk seal named Jenny, and the jaw of an early domesticated dog dating back roughly 14,300 years. The display will run as an "experimental" exhibit for 18 months, with visitor feedback shaping a permanent gallery due to open in 2029; entry to the museum remains free.