Free Entry at Dorset County Museum This Week
Wednesday, January 22nd, 2014
When was the last time you visited Dorset County Museum? If you haven’t been for a while, or if you’ve actually never been at all, then the next few days could be the perfect opportunity for you to explore the museum and learn about our county’s incredible history, geology and art.
What to See
The Museum is offering free entry to the public all this week, as the Victorian Gallery (the building’s main hall) undergoes essential refurbishment. The Victorian Gallery is closed until the work is completed, but the remainder of the museum is still open, and there are plenty of exciting things to be found in its other galleries.
For example, if you want to learn about dinosaurs and Dorset’s prehistoric past, then the Jurassic Coast Gallery will be right up your street. Opened in 2006, the interactive gallery charts 185 million years of Dorset’s development, and contains a giant skull found in Weymouth Bay belonging to a Pliosaur, the largest marine reptile that ever lived.
Alternatively, if it’s human history that interests you, then you can head over to the Archaeology Gallery, where you can see locally discovered artefacts from the Iron Age, Bronze Age, and Roman period. These include mosaics, jewellery, coins, tools, pottery and even human skeletons!
And for any local culture vultures, there’s also the Literary Gallery, dedicated to Thomas Hardy and the county’s other famous writers. Among the highlights is a reconstruction of Hardy’s study at Max Gate, where he wrote some of his most famous works.
You have until the 25th to take advantage of the free entry offer, so you do need to be quick! The Museum re-opens as normal on 27th January, when full access to the Victorian Gallery will be resumed.
