Dinosaurland Fossil Museum

Dinosaurland Fossil Museum
Location of Dinosaurland Fossil Museum in Dorset
Location: Lyme Regis, Dorset
Coordinates:
Built: 1750-1755
Architect: John Whitty
Listed Building – Grade I
Official name: Congregational Church
Designated: 31 January 1974[1]
Reference #: 404523

Dinosaurland Fossil Museum (aka Dinosaurland) is a privately owned fossil museum in Lyme Regis, on the Jurassic Coast in Dorset, England.[2][3][4]

The museum, opened in 1989, is owned and run by Steve Davies, a palaeontologist.[5] It contains a collection of local marine fossils from the Jurassic period. The museum organizes guided fossil hunting walks.[6] There is a museum shop that sells fossils and minerals.[4][7]

The fossil collection is housed on the ground floor.[8] As well as local Jurassic fossils, there are dinosaurs from China. There are also modern shells and skeletons on display.

Contents

Congregational Church

The museum is located on Coombe Street in a 250 year old Grade I listed building that used to be a congregational church.[1] The church was built between 1750 to 1755 by John Whitty. It was where Mary Anning (1799–1847), an early fossil hunter, was baptised and later attended for worship.[9][10]

The two storey building has a hipped roof and rusticated quoins. The round-headed doorway has Doric pilasters on either side. There is a 19th century addition to the left hand end of the building.[11]

On display

The museum has a small collection of [dinosaur]fossils on display (such as a large dinosaur [coprolite], a [Megolsaurus]skelton and a Chinese dinosaur, unknown [genus].

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "Congregational Church, Coombe Street, Lyme Regis, West Dorset, Dorset". Images of England. English Heritage. http://www.imagesofengland.org.uk/Details/Default.aspx?id=404523. 
  2. ^ David Else and Fionn Davenport, Great Britain, Lonely Planet, 2009. Page 309. ISBN 978-1741044911.
  3. ^ Oliver Berry and Belinda Dixon, Devon, Cornwall & Southwest England, Lonely Planet, 2008. Page 161. ISBN 978-1741048735.
  4. ^ a b Thomas A. Hose, Geotourism: Appreciating the deep time of landscapes. In Marina Novelli (editor), Niche tourism: contemporary issues, trends and cases, Butterworth-Heinemann, 2005. ISBN 978-0750661331.
  5. ^ Fine example of a crinoid!, Midweek Herald, 14 November 2007.
  6. ^ Dinosaurland — Lyme Regis, VisitBritain, UK.
  7. ^ Dinosaurland Fossil Shop, Lyme Regis, Dorset, UK.
  8. ^ Dinosaurland Fossil Museum in Dorset, Visitor World, UK.
  9. ^ Lyme Regis, Panoromic Earth.
  10. ^ Dinosaurland Fossil Museum at the Notable Names Database.
  11. ^ "Forecourt Wall at Congregational Church, Lyme Regis". British Listed Buildings. http://www.britishlistedbuildings.co.uk/en-404523-forecourt-wall-at-congregational-church-. 

External links