What are cookies?
Cookies are small blocks of data created by a web server while you are browsing a website.
Why do we use cookies
They are used widely to improve how websites work, to give users the best online experience tailored to their interests and to provide information to website owners about how their site is used and how well it is performing.
We may also use information gained from cookies to tailor the content of our communications with you via other channels, for example if you are opted in to receive marketing emails.
Functional cookies
These cookies let you use all parts of the Museum's website and remember the choices you make to give you better functionality and personal features. Without them, services that you’ve asked for can’t be provided.
Some examples of how we use these cookies are:
- Remembering if you visited the website before so that messages for new visitors are not displayed to you
- Recognising you when you sign into the Museum's online shop or recruitment portal
Advertising cookies
We use third party advertising cookies to track the actions of visitors to our site. That information lets us assess the effectiveness of our digital advertising and allows us to serve more relevant ads on third party websites.
This includes showing you adverts we think may interest you based on the pages you visit on our site, limiting the number of times that a given ad is shown to you, and removing those who have already bought tickets from any future ticket sales campaigns.
We may also use the information collected by these cookies to help inform how we communicate with other users with a similar web browsing profile to those who have visited the site.
Performance cookies
These cookies help us make sure that the website is working properly, fix any errors and let us try and assess new content and design ideas. These cookies also help us to build an understanding of your interests so we can personalise website content to be more specific and relevant to you. They do not store details like your name or email address, but can track the website pages you visit.
You can refuse these cookies but the website content will be less tailored to you. If you are also subscribed to email marketing or have another relationship with the Museum such as being a Museum member, these cookies will also help us to personalise the content you receive via other channels.
Setting your own cookie preferences
To set your own cookies preferences or to accept all of the cookies the Museum uses on its site please visit our cookie preference page.
How to reset your cookie preferences
Please reset your cookie preferences on our cookie preference page.
Last updated: 20 November 2023
Legislation about cookies
The EU cookie law, introduced in 2011, requires that websites make clear how and why they use cookies.
You can find information about all the cookies that we use on the Natural History Museum ("NHM") website ("The Site"), and our affiliated websites on this page.
Useful links
- Read this website's terms and conditions.
- Find out more about our privacy notice.
- Your online choices: a guide to online behavioural advertising.