The building was originally commissioned by the Natural History Society of Northumbria and opened by the Prince of Wales in 1884.
The museum holds an extensive collection of over 600,000 objects in its archives.
The 'Living Planet' gallery features an aquarium that highlights local North East aquatic life.
The museum houses a significant collection of Egyptian antiquities, including a mummified cat.
Its Hadrian's Wall collection includes rare stone altars and Roman inscriptions excavated from the nearby World Heritage Site.
The planetarium uses a digital projection system to simulate the night sky for educational shows.
The museum underwent a major 26 million pound redevelopment that concluded in 2009, merging the Hancock Museum and the University's Museum of Antiquities.
The museum serves as the primary repository for the archives of the Natural History Society of Northumbria.
The Great North Museum: Hancock is a prominent natural history and archaeology museum located in Newcastle upon Tyne. It houses extensive collections covering natural history, archaeology, geology, and world cultures. The museum features a full-scale T-Rex skeleton replica and a dedicated planetarium for immersive space shows. Visitors can explore the Living Planet gallery, which showcases taxidermy and live animal exhibits. The Hadrian’s Wall gallery displays significant Roman artifacts found along the nearby frontier. The site is part of the Newcastle University campus, integrating academic research with public exhibition space. It occupies a historic building originally founded as the Hancock Museum in 1884. The galleries are organized by themes including ancient civilizations, regional geology, and biodiversity.
The life-sized T-Rex skeleton in the central gallery.
Check the museum website for the daily planetarium schedule upon arrival, as shows have limited seating capacity.
Visit the interactive 'Mouse House' area if travelling with young children for age-appropriate sensory play.
Use the onsite library if you have an interest in researching specific geological or archaeological records.
Do not attempt to touch the open-display taxidermy or archaeological artifacts, even if they appear accessible.
