Regular visitors to the Natural History Museum in London may be familiar with the dark bronze statue which looks out from the stairs overlooking the main entrance hall. As far as I'm aware the statue has been there for decades. It commemorates one, Richard Owen, founder of the museum and, in his day, a highly controversial character - having been accused of taking credit for other people's work and sabotaging the research of his rivals (for lots more, take a look at Wikipedia).
That Owen was a bit of an unpleasant character is made easier to believe when you see what he looked like! Never was there such an angular, twisted face! Still, he lived to a great age so someone must have loved him, and he did found the Natural History Museum!
Anyway, as a result of our research for Rockford's Rock Opera (Part 4), we decided to take another look at Richard Owen. (We may have a job for him in the audio story).
So, along we went to the museum only to find out that his statue isn't there anymore. It's gone. Usurped, quite rightly and ironically, by Charles Darwin in this, the 200th anniversary year of his birth. (As contemporaries, Darwin and Owen knew each other well and it was reported that Owen was the only person the mind mannered Darwin ever hated.)
Above. Charles Darwin's statue at the Natural History Museum (after a night of heavy drinking).
So, if you want to see what Richard Owen looked like, don't go to the museum, take a look on Wikipedia, and learn a bit more about one of natural history's more controversial characters who may yet turn up in Rockford's Rock Opera...
