Sir David Attenborough Opens New Jurassic Coast Gallery at Dorset County Museum

Friends, Trustees and staff at Dorset County Museum were delighted to welcome special guest Sir David Attenborough for the official opening of the long-awaited Jurassic Coast Gallery on 7^th September.

Funded by a £336,500 Heritage Lottery Fund grant, the new gallery represents over two year's hard work developing a focal point for all visitors to the UNESCO Jurassic Coast World Heritage Site.  Visitors are taken on a journey through 185 million years of geological time, focusing on specimens from the Museum's unique geology collection.

The Jurassic Coast's fascinating story is delivered through innovative new displays, which are very much influenced by the philosophy of Inspiring Learning for All. Tactile exhibits, layered information, colour, sound, text and interactive activities have helped to create a space which appeals to visitors of all ages and abilities. Well-lit showcases are full of rocks and fossils from the Triassic, Jurassic and Cretaceous Periods, and provide information about past environments, the first Earth Scientists and the landscape of the Jurassic Coast.

I think it's marvellous.  There are lots of fossils to be found in this area and they should be cherished

After viewing the new Gallery, Sir David said "I think it's marvellous.  There are lots of fossils to be found in this area and they should be cherished". Later, in a speech to the assembled audience, he talked about his fondness for the Dorset and Devon coastline and the need for museums to educate the public about the importance of the World Heritage Site. He concluded "for anyone at all interested in geology and the history of the earth, this is the area where it all came from. It's only right that there should be a Jurassic Coast Gallery and it is only right that it should be here."

Sir David was then presented with a beautifully prepared specimen of an ammonite from Lyme Regis as a memento of a very special evening.

For more information please Tel: 01305 262735

Dorset County Museum is supported by Dorset County Council