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Episode 2 – 'God’s Own Museum': The Façade

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Temple of Science
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In episode 2 of Temple of Science, we take a closer look at the decoration on the outside of the Museum building, which captures the vitality of nature, presented in Victorian Oxford as the study of God’s creation.
From the outset, Oxford University Museum wanted to teach the principles of natural history through art as well as science. In this episode we take a close look at the museum’s façade. The carvings round the windows, incorporating designs by John Ruskin and carved by the brilliant Irish stonemason and sculptor James O’Shea, revel in the vitality of nature, while the decorations round the main entrance remind us that, for the scientists in Victorian Oxford, natural history was the study of God’s creation.

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Temple of Science

Episode 1 – Oxford's Pre-Raphaelite Natural History Museum

In the first episode of Temple of Science we find out how the Museum came to be, involving not only scientists but artists, architects and designers in one of the most original creative collaborations of the Victorian age.
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Temple of Science
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Episode 3 – The Sanctuary of the Temple of Science: The Central Court

The central court of the Museum was described by one founder as ‘the sanctuary of the Temple of Science’. In this episode we see how every detail of this unique space was carefully planned and crafted to form a comprehensive model of natural science.
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Episode Information

Series
Temple of Science
People
John Holmes
Keywords
history
pre-raphaelite
architecture
natural history museum
oxford university
science
art
Department: Museum of Natural History
Date Added: 01/10/2020
Duration: 00:08:46

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