If you’re stuck in Oxford on a rainy afternoon, take a detour down Parks Road. To the rear of the University Museum of Natural History, is an innocuous doorway, through which lie the hidden delights of the Pitt Rivers Museum. Whether you pop in for five minutes to hide out from a passing shower, or while away a torrential storm, the Pitt Rivers’ narrow aisles are crammed with curiosities and distractions.

Entering this museum of anthropology feels as if you’ve somehow stumbled into an explorer’s attic. An eleven metre totem pole dominates the room, while African masks and ancient Japanese weapons are found alongside musical instruments and magic charms. Ghoulish groups of children gather around a case housing shrunken heads, and inquisitive visitors jostle to see if there really is a witch in that bottle. There’s something to delight and surprise even the most jaded of visitors, and those with active imaginations will be lost for hours.

Images courtesy of Kotomi on Flickr