Excerpt from Synopsis of an Arrangement of Invertebrate Animals in the Free Public Museum of Liverpool

In October, 1861, when the Natural History Collections presented to the Town of Liverpool by the Grandfather of the present Earl of Derby were removed from Duke Street to the building which they now occupy, the question arose, how should the Museum be made as fully as possible to answer the requirements of the population by whom it was to be supported, under the provisions of the Library and Museum Act.

The Curator, Mr. Moore, whose valuable services are well known and highly appreciated, having on his hands, besides the duties of general superintendence, the re-arrangement of the extensive series of Mammalia and Birds, together with preparations for the reception of a similar series of Fishes and Reptiles, availed himself of my offer of assistance in obtaining and arranging a collection of Invertebrate Animals, our stock of which at that time included little beyond some corals and a few very miscellaneous specimens.

The accommodation available for the proposed collection consisted of the central areas of a suite of five rooms, 27 feet in breadth, the total length being 250 feet. Space was thus provided for 20 table cases, each 10 feet long, set transversely.

One important point was therefore settled by the shape of the building. The series had to be conformed to a linear arrangement.

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