Twelves treasures from the Natural History Museum's collection have been hidden around London this weekend. Find one, and you could win an exclusive party at the museum for 25 of your mates, in the newly opened Treasures Gallery on the mezzanine of the museum’s awe-inspiring Central Hall.
The treasures are sequestered at various central London locations, from Battersea Park to the Tower of London. (There's two clues for you, right there.) All you need to do is download the map and a "collection sheet", find the treasure, take a rubbing of the object and hand it to the attendant nearby. Alternatively, you can drop your collection sheets into the NHM itself; or, in a nicely retro nod, post it to the museum using the Royal Mail (remember them?).
Even though you only need to collect one treasure to enter, if you indulge in the whole hunt over the weekend, organisers Hide& Seek promise you'll find buildings with unexpected pasts, lesser-known museums and long-forgotten menageries: Alex Fleetwood, Director of Hide&Seek, says, "There are so many sites across London that have amazing natural history stories attached – weird things that happened there, unlikely animals, hidden rivers. We're [encouraging] people... to explore these sites – and the more of them they visit, the greater their chances of winning". Sounds like a man after our own hearts.
Treasures: The Hunt takes place around London on 24 and 25 November between 10am and 4pm. The Treasures Cadogan Gallery itself opens on 30 November. Visit nhm.ac.uk/visit-us/galleries/green-zone/treasures/the-hunt to find out more.
