Hearts have been broken today as it was announced a treasured part of many Londoners’ childhoods is set to be retired.

Dippy the Diplodocus is to be moved out of the Natural History Museum’s main hall, leading the hashtag #SaveDippy to trend on social media.

The plaster dino skeleton has inspired generations of kids at the museum, where it has been for 109 years, but is not considered relevant enough to what is happening to the natural world today.

From summer 2017, he will be replaced by an 83 foot long real blue whale skeleton.

Dippy could have a future, though, as there are possible plans to send him out on a UK tour.

But if you think the idea of a skeletal dinosaur going on tour sounds ridiculous, just see how in demand the Rolling Stones still are.

Despite looking real, Dippy is a fake – an exact plaster cast copy on an 85 foot long diplodocus that lived in North America 150 million years ago.

He was installed in the reptile gallery in 1905 but stored in the basement during the Blitz. In 1979, he was rebuilt and given pride of place in the central hall, where he has greeted visitors at the main entrance ever since.

The change is part of a "decade of transformation" planned at the museum by its director, Sir Michael Dixon.

Sir Michael told the Press Association that Dippy could end up as an additional exhibit in one of the museum's galleries.

Another possibility was laser-scanning his plaster bones to create another replica made of more durable material.

The "new" Dippy would be able to brave the elements outside in the museum grounds.

Sir Michael said: "We've just launched our new five-year plan for the museum, much of which is about what makes a museum special and different.

"The fundamental thing is our fantastic collection of real objects from the natural world. We're focusing on the real and authentic. Much loved as Dippy is, he's a plaster cast replica of a diplodocus, and one of a number around the world.

"We think this is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to re-imagine the main hall.

"This is not about saying Dippy is of no value - he's an icon of the museum - but the new exhibit will allow us to tell a range of stories about the museum and its purpose.”

  • What do you think about Dippy's retirement? Let us know in the comments below.