The Natural History Museum of London (NHM) opened its transformed gardens last year, redesigned to reflect 2.7 billion years of earth’s history in a quintessentially British way.
And it doesn’t get more quintessentially British than a gigantic bronze monument of a famous Wyoming dinosaur.
The centerpiece exhibit of the greenspace is “Fern,” a life-size bronze cast of a plaster Diplodocus donated to the British people by American philanthropist Andrew Carnegie. That dinosaur, promoted as “the most colossal animal ever on Earth,” was found in Albany County in 1899.
For over a century, “Dippy” dominated the lobby of the NHM, where millions of people beheld its 88-foot-long glory. This made the Wyoming dinosaur one of the most significant scientific icons in the United Kingdom.
“Dippy is symbolic of dinosaurs and Britain,” said Dean Lomax, one of the UK’s leading paleontologists and author of several dinosaur books. “This might seem odd considering that the original bones are from Wyoming and that Dippy is a cast, but it has become a firm fan favourite.”
Dinosauria Domination
From the perspectives of paleontology and popular culture, Britain is the “birthplace” of dinosaurs.
British naturalist William Buckland named the world’s first dinosaur, Megalosaurus, in 1824 after studying the jaw of a carnivorous dinosaur found near Oxford. Gideon Mantell described the world’s second dinosaur, Iguanodon, in 1825.
In 1842, Britain’s leading naturalist, Sir Richard Owen, coined the term "Dinosauria" to describe the distinct group of extinct reptiles discovered in Britain. Dinosaurs have been one of the most famous scientific icons ever since.
Even among this vaunted pedigree, Dippy the Diplodocus might be Britain's most famous and well-known dinosaur, even if it came from Wyoming. King Edward VII saw a drawing of Andrew Carnegie’s "Star-Spangled Dinosaur" and asked Carnegie if he could get one for him.
"The king came for lunch at Carnegie's house one day, and there was a picture of the Diplodocus over the fireplace," Wyoming author and historian Tom Rea told Cowboy State Daily. "Carnegie says, 'That's my namesake. The largest animal that ever walked the earth.' And the king said, 'Can we get one for the British Museum?' And Carnegie said, 'I'll see what I can do.'"
Carnegie donated a plaster replica of his Diplodocus to the British people in 1905. As a form of “dinosaur diplomacy,” several more replicas were created and donated to museums across Europe and South America.
Never Forget Your First
Lomax first saw Dippy in the NHM lobby when he was 13. Although he was already on the trajectory for a successful career as a paleontologist, seeing the iconic specimen left a lasting impact.
“It was one of the first large dinosaur skeletons I ever saw as a youngster,” he said. “It left quite a profound feeling. It’s still one of the most famous dinosaurs on display in the British Isles.”
Lomax sold his collection of Star Wars action figures so he could travel to Wyoming for his first experience as a field paleontologist. He excavated Diplodocus fossils from the same state and rock formation where Dippy was found a century earlier.
“Having spent so much time in Wyoming professionally, I have always thought that it was quite something to dig up dinosaurs, including Diplodocus bones, from the very same formation from which Dippy derived,” he said.
Since then, Lomax has studied every dinosaur ever found in Britain, publishing the book Dinosaurs of the British Isles in 2014. Although Dippy is a Wyoming dinosaur, Lomax says it’s one of the best-known dinosaurs in Britain.
“Funnily enough, it is probably among the top five most well-known ‘British dinosaurs,’” he said. “I say this confidently because of the many public lectures I have delivered about British dinosaurs over the last 16 years. At the start of my talk, I often ask the audience to name five British dinosaurs, and Dippy usually comes up.
Big And Bronze
Dippy the Diplodocus greeted millions of NHM visitors for 112 years. In 2017, the dinosaur’s prominent position was usurped by one of the only animals that could leave a bigger impression.
In 2017, the plaster Diplodocus was removed from the lobby and replaced by the actual skeleton of an 82-foot-long blue whale. The skeleton swap caused such a splash that it garnered international media attention and a BBC special narrated by David Attenborough.
“I recall when plans were made to remove Dippy from the museum, a petition was initiated to put a stop to that,” Lomax said. “Dippy is an iconic dinosaur, and it held a prominent position at the museum for so long.”
Since then, Dippy has gone on a celebrity tour of Britain. The NHM remounted the skeleton to update its outdated posture and sent it to several museums and a cathedral as a traveling exhibit showcasing Britain’s most iconic dinosaur.
When the NHM decided to revamp its outdoor gardens, they saw an opportunity to permanently honor the iconic dinosaur. The plaster replicas of Dippy’s bones were scanned, cast in bronze, and meticulously mounted as “the world’s first fully self-supporting life-size bronze Diplodocus.”
“Beneath the graceful gaze of our newest dinosaur, Fern, two immersive outdoor galleries are already teeming with wildlife. It’s the perfect place for all to connect with and learn about the nature on our doorsteps,” said Dr Doug Gurr, the NHM’s director.
Beloved British Imposter
Dippy, the Wyoming Diplodocus, will always have an honorary place in British history and paleontology. When most British citizens hear “dinosaur,” they’re probably thinking of the American import before Megalosaurus, Iguanodon, and the rich menagerie of definitively British dinosaurs.
Lomax admitted he has mixed feelings about Dippy’s impact on the British people. He affectionally referred to the plaster Diplodocus as “an imposter.”
“There’s a misunderstanding that Dippy was found in the British Isles,” he said. “I often ask various members of the public to name five British dinosaurs, and Dippy usually comes up.”
That’s why Lomax has dedicated his career to studying and promoting the diversity of Britain’s dinosaurs and other prehistoric reptiles. He’s appeared in several documentaries on British fossil discoveries, including 2015’s Dinosaur Britain, based on his book.
Nevertheless, it’s hard to overstate the impact this Wyoming dinosaur has and will continue to have on the British people. Lomax doesn't deny it, especially since he shares that wonder and inspiration.
“Dippy has greeted dinosaur fans in Britain for a very long time,” he said. “We may not be able to say that Dippy was originally found here, but Dippy is, well and truly, a much-loved, dino-adopted British icon.”
Andrew Rossi can be reached at arossi@cowboystatedaily.com.
