Historians have condemned “utterly absurd” plans to replace ornate wooden display cases at a museum which houses the most complete remains of a Dodo in the world.

The 19th century Oxford University Museum of Natural History is a Grade I listed building visited by more than 750,000 per year.

Plans have been submitted to replace 24 wooden display cases with modern glass cabinets - angering architects, historians and heritage campaigners.

The cases house a large proportion of the museum's millions of specimens, valued at around £7 million, and includes dinosaur vertebrates, fossils, and the most complete remains of a dodo in the world.

The proposed glass cabinets will be "more secure and robust" and have a simple design which "complements rather than detracts" from the architectural aesthetic of the building, according to the university.