On Wednesday the 18th October the Nazrin Shah Centre for Worcester College in Oxford was officially opened by HRH The Duchess of Cornwall and HRH Sultan Nazrin. The opening ceremony included musical and theatrical performances by Worcester students in the Tuanku Bainun auditorium, a speech by the Sultan and the unveiling of the dedication plaque by The Duchess.
Below are some from the Natural History Museum site showing the scaffold ‘tunnel’ going up at the Museum. This is the framework required to lift, manipulate, and move the blue whale skull into position in a few weeks.
Though the main hall has had a sperm whale in it before, this was only around 15m long. In contrast, the blue whale, the largest known animal to have ever existed, is about 30m long once assembled.
Unfortunately, due to the various extensions and alterations to the Museum over time, the skull can only come in via the front doors. And – much like a very large, very heavy, very valuable sofa – it’s a case of squeezing it in at strange angles.