Timeline: 

• Alfred Denny employed at Firth College teaching biology, 1880s 

Alfred Denny, the founder of the museum, was appointed as a lecturer in Biology in 1884 at Firth College and then appointed as The Professor of Biology in 1888.

• Denny begins collection, 1884

Denny reportedly starts his collection with a dog skull obtained from Leeds City Museum, where his father worked as the curator. Alfred believed strongly in the importance of hands on and visual learning in fostering an interest and passion for the subject and thus wanted to develop a resource to be used by students. 

• Collection is used in medical teachings, 1889

At this point Denny had assembled a large assortment of specimens that supplemented comparative anatomy teachings.

• Advocation for a museum, 1898

Alfred Denny described the intention of developing a museum, and the benefits this would bring in 1898 in a presentation to to the museums association in Sheffield City Hall. He put forward plans for an academic museum to be used for educating students via observing in detail in the features and evolutionary relationships of the specimens.

• Museum set up in Firth Court, 1905

The University College of Sheffield was formed from the merging of the Sheffield School of Medicine, Firth College and the Sheffield Technical School in 1887. It later received a Royal Charter in 1905 granting it status as The University of Sheffield. 

In July of this year the new Firth Court Building on Western Bank was opened by King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra where the University (aside from Engineering) relocated.

This provided enough space for Denny to establish the Museum of Zoology and Comparative Anatomy in the South West tower of Firth Court. 

The museum was used for the teaching of comparative anatomy and zoology. It became a valuable tool for student education.

• Denny appointed Professor of Zoology 1908

The Department of Biology split into two separate departments: A Department of Zoology and a Department of Botany, granting Denny the status of the first Professor of Zoology at the University. 

• Expansion of the Museum, 1914

The Museum moved to a new wing in the North Wing of Firth court. The Zoology Department occupied the top two floors with the Museum extending over 3 floors of Firth Court with a giraffe skeleton standing tall in the centre overlooking the cabinets of skeletons, spirit jars and taxidermy.

The museum has always had a dual use: both for research and for engagement/ education. Denny accessed his networks to gather a vast array of specimens from all the different animal groups. He used these in his teaching and to host public lectures on “Evolution and Adaptation in the Animal World”. Which had up to 600 people attending per night. 

This was the peak of the museum with its vast array of specimens on multiple floors, with additional galleries in the building and specialist collections specifically for personal research projects. 

• Damage to the museum, 1940 

During the WWII bombings, the roof of the museum was badly damaged resulting in the loss of some specimens. While much of the collection remained intact, repeated fires and damage to storage archives resulted in the loss of a significant proportion of the museum collection records. As a result we know little about the history of the museum, the origin of most specimens and about Alfred Denny himself.

• Oskars Lusis appointed Curator, 1953

Oskars Lusis was appointed to an academic post at the University in 1953 with the title Curator of the Alfred Denny Museum. In 1963 he was made a Lecturer in Zoology with the additional title of Honorary Curator of the Alfred Denny Museum.

His work in the Museum mostly involved salvaging specimens and relocating the museum to a refurbished wing of Firth Court. 

From 1950s onwards the museum was repeatedly downsized as the University expanded and space became limited. The collection was heavily reduced but still holds original exhibits such as the primate and human skeletons. Much of the collection was donated. Some specimens can even be found in Weston Park Museum just down the road. 

• Relocated to Biology Building, 1969

Building of the Biology Building (renamed later to the Alfred Denny building in 1990) began in 1965, however, development was delayed by the announcement from the University Grants Committee that they would provide no further funding. This impacted plans for the the creation of space in new buildings for a museum.

The University submitted plans showing a large room as a teaching materials store. This was approved and the space became the new home of the Alfred Denny Museum. 

With the relocation, the Museum was reorganised into a specialised teaching museum with the collection supplementing Bioscience undergraduate teaching, utilising the diversity of animals to supplement lectures on taxonomy, evolution and adaptation. 

Oskars continued to look after the collections and established a number of new displays, including the preparation of numerous 'double specimens' which combine both taxidermy and skeletal reconstruction to illustrate the anatomy of animals. He remained the curator until his retirement in 1983.

• Tim Birkhead appointed Honorary Curator 1982

Professor Birkhead joined the University as a Lecturer of Zoology in 1976 and took over the museum curation following Oskars retirement. 

He was appointed Professor of Behavioural Ecology in 1992 and oversaw the reopening of the museum to the public, remaining a curator until 2018. 

• Reopened to public, 2012

The Museum was rejuvenated in preparation for it's first opening to the public in 40 years as part of the Festival of the Mind. This effort was led by curator Professor Tim Birkhead and one of his PhD students, Dr Nicola Hemmings, who helped with running the museum. 

They worked with then post-graduate student Dr Louise Heaton, the University Heritage Officer Dr Lynne Fox, and a team of student volunteers to provide four weekend days of free museum tours for the public, delivered by trained undergraduate zoology students. In addition, a talk titled 'The Cabinet Of Curiosities' was delivered by Professor Birkhead which outlined the story of the museum and a number of unique specimens such as a rare Belgian circus tent made with stained glass windows and wooden pews.

The Museum's debut was a highly successful event with thousands of locals visiting during the 4-day period in which it was open. 

Since then the museum's public engagement program, initiated by Dr Nicola Hemmings, has expanded. The Museum hosts free guided tours for the public every month, and holds an assortment of more specialist events on request. 

• Present Day 

The museum, now overseen by Professor Gavin Thomas and Dr Emma Hughes, currently receives outstanding reviews from visitors on TripAdvisor who attest to the brilliance of the specimens, knowledgeable tour guides and the 'intriguing historic feel' of displays. 

Our volunteers are hard at work developing the museum to continue growing its public outreach and digital presence; curating and databasing specimens, researching the history of the museum, designing new displays and photographing a variety of specimens.