Camberley Natural History Society – 70th year exhibition

Our current exhibition celebrates the history of this amazing society. Created in Camberley in1946, the society has worked to research, promote and protect the natural habitats of the Surrey Heath area. The original force behind the society was Maxwell Knight who came to the area during the Second World War to live in a safe house locally. With a successful career in MI5 and the BBC, he was a strong force.

In the last 70 years the areas has seen many housing and road development and the need to protect and encourage wildlife has never been stronger. Many species have disappeared (Barn Owls and Turtle Doves) as their habitats have disappeared, but equally many species have become prevalent in the area ((Buzzards and Canada Geese). Heathland bird species such as Night Jars and Wood Larks remain protected partly because of the society’s work.

On display are paintings and taxidermy from the museum’s collection, Victorian insect and egg collections and taxidermy displays from the original museum’s collection. The latter revealing a time, when it was fashionable to collect birds, mammals ad remove them their natural habitats. Come and be intrigued by the changing local natural history and find out about your area – the local natural habitats (grassland, heathland, wetland) and what species you can find there.