FOREST Hill's Horniman walrus has packed his suncream and gone to the seaside for a summer holiday.

The museum favourite left his home for the first time in more than 100 years to visit Margate.

Famously overstuffed by his Victorian taxidermist and weighing around a tonne, he is on his way to the Turner Contemporary where he’ll spend the summer taking pride of place in a new exhibition.

He was bought by Museum founder Frederick Horniman in the early 1890s and has moved no more than 25 feet since the Horniman opened in 1901.

But his trip to Turner Contemporary has given curators a chance to find out more about him.

Keeper Jo Hatton said: "The walrus is very dear to us and to our visitors, so while we were keen to loan him to this exhibition, we’ve also been careful to make sure he can travel safely without getting damaged.

"And of course we wanted him to be in tip-top condition to meet his new audiences - so he’s been cleaned and x-rayed to find out exactly what he’s made of, and packed carefully in his crate for the journey."

Follow his adventures on Twitter account @hornimanwalrus