Charmouth Heritage Coast Centre facts for kids
The Charmouth Heritage Coast Centre is a special place located in Charmouth, a village in Dorset, England. It's found on the beach, inside an old building that used to be a cement factory. This centre helps people learn all about the amazing fossils and geology of the famous Jurassic Coast.
Exploring the Jurassic Coast at Charmouth
What is the Charmouth Heritage Coast Centre?
The Charmouth Heritage Coast Centre is a registered charity. This means it's a group that works to help the public, and it relies on support from people and grants. It is an important part of the larger UNESCO World Heritage Site known as the "Jurassic Coast."
The Jurassic Coast is a very long stretch of coastline, about 155 kilometers (96 miles) long. It goes from Orcombe Point in Exmouth all the way to Old Harry Rocks. Along this coast, you can see layers of rock that tell a story of Earth's history. These rocks are from the Triassic, Jurassic, and Cretaceous periods, covering about 185 million years! Many important fossils have been found here.
How the Centre Helps Everyone Learn
It's free to enter the Charmouth Heritage Coast Centre and see all its displays. Because entry is free, the centre depends on money from special walks and events it holds. It also relies on kind donations from the public. The centre has also received grants from the Heritage Lottery Fund to help with its work.
The centre was started in 1985 by people who lived nearby. They were worried about damage being done to the cliffs by people looking for fossils. From the very beginning, the main job of the centre has been to teach people. It has grown over the years as more and more people, including school groups, wanted to visit and learn.
In 2014, a grant from the Primary Science Teaching Trust helped the centre create a special classroom. This classroom has resources designed to help local children meet the requirements of the National Curriculum for science.
