To celebrate the opening of a Jurassic Park pop-up shop at the Natural History Museum in London this week (the popup is to mark 30 years of the famous film, and it’s open until late summer), Mapping London features this rather fantastic map created by Andy Council which was commissioned by Londonist for a book of London maps a few years back. The map – in the shape of a dinosaur itself – includes, in approximately correct geographical location (allowing for London now being dinosaur shaped) key sites if you are interested in finding some dinosaurs in London.
As well as the Natural History Museum itself in west London, which now not only has the aforementioned Jurassic Park shop, Dippy the Diplodocus (in the entrance hall for many years but currently back, after touring, for a special exhibition) and the main permanent dinosaur exhibit, there is the Horniman Museum in south London (which currently has a Lego Dinosaur exhibition), and further south still there are the recently restored “fat” stone dinosaurs in Crystal Palace Park. Various dino-themed mini-golf and crazy golf centres, on the outskirts of the capital are also referenced in the graphic.
We love this instantly eye-catching map, with its obvious dinosaur shape and vibrant colours. It’s fine, and it is both London and and animal at the same time. Andy created a number of similar maps, including a lion-shaped map of the Red Lion pubs in London (there are many) and a more local (Crouch End) dinosaur. You can buy some of the creature maps in his online shop.
Meanwhile, if you are of a certain age and remember the original Jurassic Park film from 1993 fondly, then the Natural History Museum’s popup shop, a collaboration with Universal Pictures, is well worth a visit – and of course check out the other exhibits in this amazing museum too.
