Nature, love, and walruses for the Horniman Museum and Gardens’ 125th anniversary

_{Image 1: Kusuma Nature Play and Gardens Cafe, open May 2026, part of the Horniman Museum and Gardens’ Nature + Love project. Credit Horniman and Louisa Rechenbach (photographer)}

In the heart of southeast London, set in 16 acres of award-winning gardens, is a much-loved space for visitors to explore the world – from global cultures to natural wonders.

Since 1901, the Horniman Museum and Gardens has brought to life the vision of philanthropist and tea trader, Frederick John Horniman: “to bring the world to Forest Hill”.  In May 2026,  in time to celebrate the Horniman’s 125^th birthday, a series of new and improved outdoor attractions opened, offering more opportunities for visitors to play, learn, and engage with nature.

The new Kusuma Nature Play Area allows children to scramble over climbing webs, keep watch from lookout points, or see what’s new on the collecting table. Wildlife-themed and surrounded by plants, the play area is a tactile way for children to engage with the museum’s shared stories.

Crossing the public footpath from the play area, visitors are soon on the Nature Trail – one of the oldest in London. Once a railway line to Crystal Palace, it’s now a haven for the city’s wildlife, such as green woodpeckers and the endangered stag beetle. Thanks to new step-free access, the 700-metre long trail is now more accessible, allowing visitors and school groups to more easily enjoy its diverse habitats.

Meanwhile at the Gardens Nursery area, new glasshouses (with air source heat pumps and rainwater harvesting), a public boardwalk route, and a workshop space offer local communities and other visitors the chance to learn about sustainable gardening.

As visitors explore these green spaces, an augmented reality trail called Animals Everywhere! – accessible via a smartphone – is helping nurture a greater love for the natural world. Players discover virtual favourites from the Horniman’s natural history, local wildlife and living collections – from walruses to a velociraptor and a giant bloom of jellyfish. These developments are all part of the Nature + Love project, designed to inspire greater appreciation of our natural world, while making the Horniman’s spaces and collections more inclusive and accessible to all.

_{Images 2 and 3: Kusuma Nature Play and Gardens Cafe, open May 2026, part of the Horniman Museum and Gardens’ Nature + Love project. Credit Horniman and Louisa Rechenbach (photographer)}

“The Gardens are a beloved and integral part of the Horniman,” says Gordon Seabright, chief executive at the Horniman. “We hope the new attractions will provide new and familiar visitors with fun and enriching encounters with the precious natural world we all share.”[1]

The Horniman will be announcing more improvements as Nature + Love progresses, including the re-opening of its beloved natural history gallery in 2027. Not before time for one of the museum’s most famous residents, an overstuffed Victorian walrus with its own Instagram channel. It has been residing in storage with its taxidermied and fossilised friends since 2024. When the gallery reopens with vibrant new displays – and powerful calls to action to protect our natural world – the walrus will be sitting proudly at the heart of the gallery once more.

Oak supports the Nature + Love project at the Horniman Museum and Gardens through our Special Interest Programme. Driven by the interests of our Trustees, it provides the space and flexibility to make grants outside of Oak’s other programme strategies.

Reference:

^{1: Horniman Museum and Gardens. Horniman reveals early look at Nature + Love project launching in 125th anniversary year. Available at: https://www.horniman.ac.uk/story/horniman-reveals-early-look-at-nature-love-project-launching-in-125th-anniversary-year/ (Accessed 24 July 2026).}