Just as Ben Stiller’s Hollywood blockbuster Night at the Museum spawned an equally successful sequel Night at the Museum II: Battle of the Smithsonian, Dorchester’s own Museum Night has also returned by popular demand for a second outing in 2011.

For those who didn’t go last year, Museum Night is an initiative to promote Dorchester museums, and gives families and individuals the opportunity to visit a variety of different venues from 5pm to 9pm for just £6. The event takes place on Saturday 14^th May, and there are no fewer than six participating museums:

• The Keep Military Museum
• Dorset County Museum
• The Teddy Bear Museum
• The Tutankhamun Exhibition
• The  Terracotta Warriors Exhibition
• The Dinosaur Museum

Not only that, but this year’s Museum Night also includes the Roman Town House!

So what is there to see?

Ever wondered what Hitler’s desk looked like? Well wonder no longer, because it’s right here in Dorchester, inside the Keep Military Museum! If you’re curious about the Fuhrer’s taste in furniture, and intrigued as to what he kept in his desk drawers, May 14th is your chance to find out for yourself. This strange artefact was recovered from the ruins of the Chancellory in Berlin in 1945 by the Dorsetshire Regiment, and now resides on the first floor of the museum.

The Tutankhamun Exhibition takes you a bit further back in time, to one of the most famous moments in the history of archaeology – the moment in 1922 when Howard Carter and Lord Canarvon chiselled the first hole into the tomb of the pharaoh Tutankhamun, which had been untouched for thousands of years.

“Can you see anything?” Canarvon asked Carter as he peered into the hole. “Yes” he replied “Wonderful things!”

This magical scene is recreated at the exhibition in Dorchester, and so too are many of the “wonderful things” that so entranced Carter and his team of archaeologists. Everything is replicated to the greatest possible level of authenticity, right down to the smells in the exhibition’s replica tomb, which were formulated using samples from aromatic oils found in the real tomb in Egypt.

If you feel like something a bit more quirky and whimsical, there is the Teddy Bear Museum, a collection of teddy bears spanning more than one hundred years.

When you step inside the museum, you enter the home of Edward Bear and his human-sized bear family. You will find the Bear family relaxing around their home with their extensive collection of more conventionally sized teddy bears.

It’s an enchanting and nostalgic experience, and for those of you wanting to take something home with you, there is also a charming period gift shop full of hundred of bears waiting to tempt you!

Museum Night tickets are available now from the Dorchester Tourist Information Centre or any of the participating museums. Family tickets bought in advance will be £6, which covers up to two adults and four children. Tickets bought on the night itself will be £10.

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Unarmoured Terracotta Warrior

Dorchester the historic county town of Dorset, has a marvellous collection of specialist museums to delight and educate visitors, including the Dinosaur Museum, Mummies Museum, Dorset County Museum and Teddy Bear Museum.

To add to this list is a particular favourite of mine, the Terracotta Warriors Museum situated in the centre of Dorchester, at the lower end of High East Street. This small but inspiring exhibition focuses on the Terracotta Warriors of the First Emperor of China and explores the remarkable discovery of these amazing treasures of ancient China – now regarded as the 8th Wonder of the Ancient World.

Discovering the Terracotta Warriors

The discovery of the Terracotta Warriors in 1974 by local farmers digging a well, has gripped the imagination of people around the world.

The Terracotta Warriors were created by the first Emperor of China, Qin Shi Huangdi who conquered and united China to become its First Emperor. He built the Great Wall of China and amassed great works of art. The Emperor was obsessed with immortality, and 70,000 workers built his tomb and installed 8000 fantastic life-size clay warriors to protect it. The warriors stand up to 2 metres tall and weigh up to 300 kilograms.

If you have been fortunate to make the journey to the site at Xian in Shaanxi Province you will never forget the experience. Closer to home, adults and children of all ages can enjoy the Terracotta Warriors Museum in Dorchester, Dorset, one of the few museums outside China exclusively dedicated to the amazing Terracotta Warriors.

The Terracotta Warrior Displays

The Terracotta Warriors Museum displays are in 9 sections and tell the story of the discovery and excavation of the tomb. Displays include exact replicas of the life-size Terracotta Warriors and their armour. Dramatic audio and multi-media presentations will entertain and educate, and bring the whole experience stunningly to life. You can also experience a journey through Chinese history illustrated with antiquities covering two millennia. Children can meet General Meng Tian and Qin Shi Huangdi with their fabulous costumes and the Royal Guard uniformed officers.

All the Terracotta Warriors displayed in the museum have been specially made for the exhibition by the technicians of the Lintong Museum Cultural Relic Workshop, Xian, China, as well as workshops of the China National Arts & Crafts Corporation, Xian. The figures with their astounding detail are in all respects identical to the original terracotta warriors having been made near the Emperor’s tomb in the same clay and fired in the same way as the originals. The hands and the heads of the Terracotta Warriors were made separately, and each head is reputed to be different and individual.

Own your very own Terracotta Warrior from the Museum Shop

The Terracotta Warriors featured in the display comprise various types, including crossbowmen, kneeling bowmen, a charioteer, an officer and a general. The entire exhibit is extremely impressive and is accompanied by audio programmes which help bring the discovery to life.

The Terracotta Warriors Museum is open all year round, Monday to Sunday, April to October 10.00am to 5.00pm and in November to March 10.00am to 4:30pm.

Admission is £5.75 per adult, Children £4.00 (under 5 years free), Seniors/Students £5.00 and a family ticket (2 adults and 2 children) is £18.00.

On the Terracotta Warriors Museum website you can print a voucher entitling you to a 50p discount on entry tickets.

The specialist shop within the Terracotta Museum, offers authentic Terracotta army figurines recreated by Chinese craftsmen, as well as pottery, postcards and general Exhibition gifts. Most items are also available on the Terracotta Museum online shop.

If you are visiting Dorchester for the day don’t forget there are plenty of cafes and places to grab a bite to eat just a few minutes walk away from the Museum.

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