We have recently discovered that fossil bones and antlers, found during the excavation of the railway cutting at Kew Bridge station in 1849 and donated by Thomas Layton, are in the collection of the Natural History Museum.

The railway loop line from Waterloo to Hounslow came through Brentford in 1849. A range of fossil bones (of oxen and bear) and antlers were found during the excavation of the cutting at Kew Bridge Station. With the help of Andy Currant, of the Palaeonotology Dept of the Natural History Museum and Mike Savage, a volunteer at the museum and Friend of Gunnersbury Park & Museum, we have been able to see some of the finds.

Most of these specimens have labels which indicate that they were presented by Thomas Layton of Brentford in 1849. Thomas Layton was 30 years old and still a relatively young collector at this time but the station was only a matter of yards from his house beside Kew Bridge and he could have kept an eye on the works in progress. Hitherto, we had thought that he had given away only one item, a sword which is in the British Museum. Now it is clear that he made this gift, which would also have been to the British Museum as the natural history departments had not yet been transferred to the separate institution we now know at South Kensington.