| The Museum was established by Major Percy | | | | in Powell-Cotton's time are now thriving as a |
| Horace Gordon Powell-Cotton, who spent forty | | | | result of his educational legacy. The museum |
| years exploring Africa and Asia and | | | | is also proud of its primate collection. Many |
| collecting in the UK. Once he'd run out of | | | | of these were traded from local people who |
| room in the house, he built a 'Pavilion' | | | | routinely hunted the animals for food. |
| alongside. This was opened to family and | | | | |
| friends around 1895, and today it is just one | | | | Other galleries display a wide range of |
| gallery in a museum that displays around 400 | | | | African cultural artefacts, including |
| animal specimens. The overall collection is | | | | jewellery, costumes, weapons and domestic |
| huge and the curator, Malcolm Harman, admits | | | | utensils. The exhibition helps to put many of |
| that the artefacts never been totalled up. He | | | | these into context, with background |
| estimates that the ethnography section alone | | | | information and photographs of many of the |
| contains around 18,000 items. | | | | ethnic groups that Powell-Cotton met during |
| | | | his travels. The collection bug was also |
| Arguably the most famous galleries are those | | | | passed on to two of the Major's daughters, |
| housing the taxidermy. Modern attitudes have, | | | | who added several thousand objects, |
| perhaps, distorted the scientific nature of | | | | photographs and films from their own travels |
| the collection and although some sections may | | | | in Angola. |
| not be to everyone's taste, Powell-Cotton was | | | | |
| a genuine conservationist. Many of the | | | | In one of the most exciting and diverse |
| animals are displayed in such a convincing | | | | collections in private ownership, there are |
| manner that you almost forget you're not on | | | | also displays of local archaeology, firearms |
| the African Savannah. As well as the stunning | | | | and cutting weapons from around the world, |
| dioramas there are mounted heads and | | | | Asian artefacts, Japanese Netsuke and |
| carefully preserved skins. The glass case | | | | porcelain. Many of these items were obtained |
| housing a lion in mid-attack on a buffalo is | | | | by the Major from sale rooms and auctions. |
| one of my personal favourites. Irrespective | | | | Much of the porcelain came from the |
| of your moral stance on Percy Powell-Cotton's | | | | collection of Mr Pope, a former Catholic |
| hunting exploits, nothing brings home the | | | | missionary. Having purchased some of the |
| reality of the natural world better than this | | | | items at auction, Major Powell-Cotton |
| stunning example of the taxidermist's art. | | | | arranged to buy the rest privately. They |
| | | | consist of European and Chinese export pieces |
| The collection contains almost every African | | | | and some of the most prized items are those |
| mammal (there are over 5,000 additional | | | | that were made exclusively for use by the |
| species behind the scenes), including some | | | | Imperial Emperor in the Forbidden City. Most |
| species that casual visitors would be | | | | of this dates from the Quing and Minq |
| forgiven for never hearing of, such as Mrs | | | | Dynasties and includes examples of the highly |
| Gray's Lechwe and Hunter's Hartebeest. No | | | | prized and exclusive 'yellow' porcelain |
| animal in the collection is extinct. On the | | | | reserved for the Emperor's immediate family. |
| contrary, many species that were endangered | | | | |