Opening hours

Mon - Sat: 10am - 4:45pm
Closed: Sundays and Bank Holidays

Free Entry

There may be a charge for special exhibitions. Please call to confirm.

The Biological Collections comprise both botanical and zoological specimens totalling approx. 60,000 items.

The botanical collection contains a number of diverse herbaria (collections of pressed plants). One of the key collections is that compiled by F Hamilton Davey to support the first edition of his “Flora of Cornwall” which was published by Davey in 1910. A copy of the book resides in the RIC’s Courtney Library. Additional herbaria include collections compiled by R V Tellam (British flora), F Rilstone (Cornish mosses, liverworts and fungi etc.), and R W Smitham (Cornish mosses).

The vertebrate zoology collection contains taxidermy (stuffed animals) and study skins, skeletal material and birds’ eggs. Most of the specimens are South West and/or UK in origin, and form a good, though not comprehensive, reference collection of the vertebrate fauna of the region.

The invertebrate zoology collection comprises entomological (insect) collections and mollusca (shell) collections. The key insect collections are the Bannister Collection (beetles or ‘coleoptera’) and the Rollason Collection (moths and butterflies or ‘lepidoptera’). Both collections are largely Cornish in origin, extremely well documented and are regionally important as reference collections.    The mollusca collection contains approx. 22,500 items. It comprises British and World marine, freshwater and terrestrial mollusc shells. A key component collection is the J H James Collection (acquired in 1909) which is supported by detailed, original catalogues.