Dorset Museum facts for kids
Victorian interior of the Dorset Museum
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| Established | 1846 |
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| Location | Dorchester, Dorset |
| Visitors | 47,000 (2016) |
| Founder | Thomas Hardy and others. |
| Architect | G. R. Crickmay and Son |
The Dorset Museum is in Dorchester, Dorset, England. It used to be called the Dorset County Museum until 2021. This museum started in 1846. It teaches visitors all about the history and nature of Dorset county.
The building you see today was built in 1881. It was designed especially to hold the museum's amazing collections. The building looks like an old castle, in a style called neo-Gothic.
Inside, the museum has over 2 million items! These items cover many topics. You can learn about archaeology (like Maiden Castle). There's also geology (like the Jurassic Coast). You can explore history and local writers, such as Thomas Hardy. Natural science is also a big part of the museum.
The museum has fun things to help you learn. There are video displays and activity carts for kids. You can also use an audio guide to hear more about the exhibits. You might see real fossilised dinosaur footprints. There are also Roman mosaics and original writings by Thomas Hardy.
About the Dorset Museum
The Dorset Museum first opened its doors in 1846. It holds two very important collections. One is a huge collection of works by the famous writer Thomas Hardy. The other is a collection of fossils from the amazing Jurassic Coast. In total, the museum has about four million items!
The Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society owns the museum. In 2014, about 45,000 people visited each year. This number grew to 47,000 visitors by 2016. The museum has even won awards for being an excellent place to visit.
In 2016, the museum planned a big expansion. This project cost £13 million. It would add a learning center, a cafe, a library, and a shop. This expansion would let the museum show almost all of its collection. Before the expansion, less than two percent of the items were on display. Many items were stored in a nearby church.
The Dorset County Museum closed in October 2018 for this big update. It reopened as the Dorset Museum on May 29, 2021. The reopening was delayed because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The total cost of the work was £16.4 million.
Museum Exhibits
Thomas Hardy was one of the people who helped start the museum. The museum has over seven thousand items connected to him. This includes a first edition book from 1874 called Far From The Madding Crowd. You can also see his handwritten notes for The Woodlanders. There's even a dress that belonged to his sister. People think it might have inspired a dress in his book Tess of the d'Urbervilles. You can also see a recreated version of Hardy's study.
The Ancient Dorset Gallery opened in November 2015. It shows historical items from the Viking age. These items were found at a nearby burial site. Other old items include prehistoric flint hand axes. There's also a Roman glass bowl and an Iron Age bronze mirror. The British Museum even loaned some special neolithic axes to add to the display.
In July 2016, a gallery about William Barnes opened. He was a poet, novelist, and musician. This gallery tells his life story, from his humble beginnings to his lasting impact.
In 2018, a famous dinosaur cast visited the museum. This was Dippy, a plaster cast of a dinosaur skeleton. Dippy usually lives at the Natural History Museum, London. It was on display at the Dorset Museum from February 10 to May 7, 2018.
The Hinton St Mary Mosaic is a very important Roman mosaic. It might show the only known picture of Christ in an ancient Roman floor. In 2019, there were talks about bringing parts of this mosaic back to the Dorset Museum. However, the part showing the head of Christ would not return. Instead, a copy would be given to the Dorset Museum. The original head would be loaned to museums around the world.
As of 2021[update], it was not clear if the whole mosaic or just a part would be shown. Many experts believe the entire mosaic should be displayed together. This is because seeing the whole mosaic helps you understand its full meaning. In July 2022, a local newspaper reported that talks were still happening. The goal is to bring this important Roman artwork to the Dorset Museum or another local site.
The Museum Building
The Dorset Museum building is on High West Street in Dorchester. It was built around 1881. The building is made from Portland stone. It was designed by architects G. R. Crickmay and Son.
The building has two floors and a slate roof. It has special stone bands and sloped walls. The windows have decorative frames above them. The top of the building has a crenellated parapet, which looks like the top of a castle wall. The front has a two-story section with many windows. At the very top, there is a panel with the Dorchester coat of arms. The metal columns inside the Victorian Hall were made in Frome.
On the first floor, there is a special corner window called an oriel window. Below it are carved squinches. The main door is to the left of the front section. It has three coats of arms above it. The building was given a special "Grade II listed building" status in 1975. This means it is an important historical building. It is part of a group of important buildings in the area. These include the nearby Shire Hall, Holy Trinity Church, and St. Peter's Church.
Behind the museum, the museum also owns the old home of John White. He was a priest who lived there. He helped get permission for people to settle in Massachusetts in America.
