Dorset Museum

Last updated

Dorset Museum
Dorset County Museum victorian gallery.JPG
Victorian interior of the Dorset Museum
Dorset Museum
Established1846
Location Dorchester, Dorset
Coordinates 50°42′55.9″N2°26′14.0″W / 50.715528°N 2.437222°W / 50.715528; -2.437222
Visitors47,000 (2016)
Founder Thomas Hardy and others.
ArchitectG. R. Crickmay and Son

The Dorset Museum (also known as the Dorset Museum & Art Gallery) is located in Dorchester, Dorset, England. It was known as the Dorset County Museum until 2021. Founded in 1846, the museum covers the county of Dorset's history and environment. The current building was built in 1881 on the former site of the George Inn. The building was designed specifically to house the museum's collection and is in the neo-Gothic style.

Contents

The museum includes information and over 2 million artifacts associated with archaeology (e.g., Maiden Castle), geology (e.g., the Jurassic Coast), history, local writers (e.g. Thomas Hardy) and natural science. There are video displays, activity carts for children, and an audio guide. The collections include fossilised dinosaur footprints, Roman mosaics and original Thomas Hardy manuscripts.

Museum

The museum was founded in 1846, and includes two significant collections, the archive of Thomas Hardy's works and fossils from the Jurassic Coast. The total collection extends to approximately four million items. The museum is owned by the Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society. [1] The museum was receiving approximately 45,000 visitors each year in 2014, [2] which had increased to 47,000 visitors in 2016. [3] TripAdvisor has awarded its Certificate of Excellence Award to the museum for four years in a row. [4]

In 2016, the museum unveiled plans for a £13 million extension which would include a learning centre, cafe, library and shop, allowing the Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society's full collection to hold together in one building. [1] Three quarters of the funding for the extension was to be put forward by the Heritage Lottery Fund, allowing much more of the collection to be viewed. Without the extension, less than two per cent of the museum's collection was on display. [5] Many items in the museum's collection had been stored at the nearby All Saints' Church. [6]

The Dorset County Museum closed in October 2018 to undergo refurbishment and the construction of the extension. [7] [8] It reopened as the Dorset Museum on 29 May 2021, after the re-opening was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. [7] The cost of the work came to £16.4 million. [8]

Exhibits

Thomas Hardy was one of the founders of the museum, and over seven thousand artefacts related to him are in the museum's collection, including an 1874 first edition copy of Far From The Madding Crowd . [9] Other items in the Hardy archive include his handwritten manuscript for The Woodlanders , his sister's dress which is thought to be inspiration for the dress in Tess of the d'Urbervilles, and a reconstruction of Hardy's study. [10]

The Ancient Dorset Gallery was opened by Julian Richards in November 2015 and includes Viking historical artefacts from a nearby burial site. Other artefacts include pre-historic flint hand axes, a Roman glass bowl and an Iron Age bronze mirror. [11] The British Museum loaned three neolithic jadeite axes and mace heads to the museum to add to the display. [12]

In July 2016, the museum opened a gallery dedicated to the work of William Barnes, telling the story of his humble roots to his legacy in poetry, novels and music. [13] The gallery was opened by Bonny Sartin, lead singer of The Yetties. [14]

In 2018 Dippy, a plaster-cast of a dinosaur which was usually housed in the Natural History Museum, London, was exhibited at the museum from 10 February 2018 to the 7 May 2018. [15]

The complete intact Hinton St Mary Mosaic as displayed until 1997 Mosaic2 - plw.jpg
The complete intact Hinton St Mary Mosaic as displayed until 1997

On 2 August 2019, Hinton St Mary villagers and the Chair of the Dorset Unitary Authority [16] were told at a closed-door meeting with the British Museum that the Hinton St Mary Mosaic would be partially returned to the Dorset County Museum. However, the head of Christ would not be returned, as the original would be “loaned to museums worldwide”. A replica would be given to the Dorset County Museum. [17] [16] No answer was given to one attendee’s question that: “Given that she [a British Museum curator] boasted the fact that the replicas they made were indistinguishable from the originals, surely it would make more sense to send the replica around the world and keep the original safe in Dorset?” [18]

As of 2021, it was not clear whether the complete mosaic [19] [20] or only a part of it would be displayed in the Dorset Museum. The Association for the Study and Preservation of Roman Mosaics has stated: “the mosaic possibly contains the only known representation of Christ in an ancient pavement, it is of unique importance not just in Britain but in the context of the Roman Empire as a whole, and merits being displayed in its entirety. It is insufficient to show the central roundel in isolation, however important. The full meaning of the pavement can be appreciated only if the whole of it is visible, including the accompanying heads and figure scenes”. [21]

In July 2022 the Blackmore Vale newspaper reported that "discussions are at an advanced stage with a view to bringing the important Roman artefact to the Dorset County Museum in Dorchester or another site." [22] [ needs update ]

Building

Museum entrance DorsetCountyMuseum.jpg
Museum entrance

Dorset Museum is on High West Street in Dorchester, Dorset. Built from Portland stone in approximately 1881, it was designed by architects G. R. Crickmay and Son from Weymouth. The building is two storeys high with a slate roof, it has two stringcourses on the gently sloped walls, with hood moulds over the windows and a crenellated parapet. The frontage includes a 2-storey bay with 7 transom windows. At the top of the bay there is a trefoil-headed panel displaying the Dorchester coat of arms. [23] The cast-iron columns and the other metalwork in the aisled Victorian Hall were cast in Frome by Edward Cockey & Sons.

On the first floor there is an oriel window in the corner, above carved squinches. The door is to the left of the bay, displaying three coats of arms above. The building was designated Grade II listed building status on 8 May 1975, as part of a group with the nearby Shire Hall, Holy Trinity Church and St. Peter's Church. [23] To the rear of the building, the museum also owns John White's rectory, where he resided whilst obtaining charters for the colonisation of Massachusetts. [6]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">British Museum</span> National museum in London, United Kingdom

The British Museum is a public museum dedicated to human history, art and culture located in the Bloomsbury area of London. Its permanent collection of eight million works is the largest in the world. It documents the story of human culture from its beginnings to the present. The British Museum was the first public national museum to cover all fields of knowledge.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dorset</span> County of England

Dorset is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by Somerset to the north-west, Wiltshire to the north and the north-east, Hampshire to the east, the Isle of Wight across the Solent to the south-east, the English Channel to the south, and Devon to the west. The largest settlement is Bournemouth, and the county town is Dorchester.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shaftesbury</span> Town and civil parish in Dorset, England

Shaftesbury is a town and civil parish in Dorset, England. It is on the A30 road, 20 miles west of Salisbury and 23 miles north-northeast of Dorchester, near the border with Wiltshire. It is the only significant hilltop settlement in Dorset, being built about 215 metres above sea level on a greensand hill on the edge of Cranborne Chase.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dorchester, Dorset</span> County town of Dorset, England

Dorchester is the county town of Dorset, England. It is situated between Poole and Bridport on the A35 trunk route. A historic market town, Dorchester is on the banks of the River Frome to the south of the Dorset Downs and north of the South Dorset Ridgeway that separates the area from Weymouth, 7 miles (11 km) to the south. The civil parish includes the experimental community of Poundbury and the suburb of Fordington.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blackmore Vale</span> Geographical area in north Dorset

The Blackmore Vale is a vale, or wide valley, in north Dorset, and to a lesser extent south Somerset and southwest Wiltshire in southern England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sturminster Newton</span> Human settlement in England

Sturminster Newton is a town and civil parish in the Blackmore Vale area of Dorset, England. It is situated on a low limestone ridge in a meander of the River Stour. The town is at the centre of a large dairy agriculture region, around which the town's economy is built. The larger part of the town (Sturminster) lies on the north side of the river, and includes most shops and services, whilst to the south is the smaller Newton.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gillingham, Dorset</span> Town and civil parish in Dorset, England

Gillingham is a town and civil parish in the Blackmore Vale area of Dorset, England. It lies on the B3095 and B3081 roads, approximately four miles south of the A303 trunk road and five miles northwest of Shaftesbury. It is the most northerly town in the county. In the 2011 census the civil parish had a population of 11,756. The neighbouring hamlets of Peacemarsh, Bay and Wyke have become part of Gillingham as it has expanded.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blandford Forum</span> Market Town in Dorset, England

Blandford Forum is a market town in Dorset, England, by the River Stour 13 miles northwest of Poole. It had a population of 10,355 at the 2021 census.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hinton St Mary</span> Village in Dorset, England

Hinton St Mary is a village and civil parish in Dorset, southern England. It is sited on a low Corallian limestone ridge beside the River Stour, one mile north of the market town Sturminster Newton. In 2001 the parish had 97 households and a population of 221. In 2013 the estimated population of the parish was 260. In 2021 the estimated population of the parish has decreased to 225.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dewlish</span> Human settlement in England

Dewlish is a village and civil parish in the county of Dorset in southern England, and is situated approximately 7 miles (11 km) north-east of the county town Dorchester. The village is sited in the valley of the small Devil's Brook among the chalk hills of the Dorset Downs; the parish covers about 2,100 acres (850 ha) and extends west to include part of the valley of the small Cheselbourne stream, and east to include a dry valley at Dennet's Bottom. The surrounding area is part of the Dorset Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB). In the 2011 census the parish had a population of 284.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fifehead Neville</span> Human settlement in England

Fifehead Neville is a village and civil parish in the county of Dorset in southern England, situated in the Blackmore Vale about two miles southwest of the town of Sturminster Newton. In the 2011 census the population of the parish was 147.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lydlinch</span> Human settlement in England

Lydlinch is a village and civil parish in the Blackmore Vale in north Dorset, England, about three miles west of Sturminster Newton. The village is sited on Oxford clay close to the small River Lydden. The parish – which includes the village of King's Stag to the south and the hamlet of Stock Gaylard to the west – is bounded by the Lydden to the east and its tributary, the Caundle Brook, to the north.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of Dorset</span>

Dorset is a rural county in south west England. Its archaeology documents much of the history of southern England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Durnovaria</span>

Durnovaria is a suggested spelling for the Latin form of the name of the Roman town of Dorchester in the modern English county of Dorset, amended from the actually observed Durnonovaria. Upon the assumption that the name was originally Brythonic, it is suggested that the first element in the name, *durno- may mean "fist" like and the second may be related to Old Irish fáir ~ fóir denoting a confined area or den. A simpler amendment would lead to *Duronovaria, making this place one of up to 18 ancient British names that contain Duro- and mostly occur at river crossings, while -novaria has two possible ancient parallels in Britain associated with river junctions. That analysis would perfectly fit the geographical situation of Dorchester.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Reading Museum</span> Local museum in Berkshire, UK

Reading Museum is a museum of the history of the town of Reading, in the English county of Berkshire, and the surrounding area. It is accommodated within Reading Town Hall, and contains galleries describing the history of Reading and its related industries, a gallery of artefacts discovered during the excavations of Calleva Atrebatum, a copy of the Bayeux Tapestry, finds relating to Reading Abbey and an art collection.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Yetties</span>

The Yetties were an English folk music group, who took their name from the Dorset village of Yetminster, their childhood home. In 1975, they released an album entitled The Yetties of Yetminster. The Yetties retired in 2011.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hinton St Mary Mosaic</span> Roman mosaic

The Hinton St Mary Mosaic is a large, almost complete Roman mosaic discovered at Hinton St Mary, Dorset, England in 1963. It appears to feature a portrait bust of Jesus Christ as its central motif, which could be the oldest depiction of Jesus Christ anywhere in the Roman Empire. A second mosaic was found during 2022 excavations on the site. The mosaic found in 1963 was chosen as Object 44 in the BBC Radio 4 programme A History of the World in 100 Objects, presented by British Museum director Neil MacGregor.

Dorset is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast. The ceremonial county comprises the area covered by the non-metropolitan county, which is governed by Dorset Council, together with the unitary authorities of Poole and Bournemouth. Dorset is an average sized county with an area of 2,653 square kilometres (1,024 sq mi); it borders Devon to the west, Somerset to the north-west, Wiltshire to the north-east, and Hampshire to the east. Around half of Dorset's population lives in the South East Dorset conurbation. The rest of the county is largely rural with a low population density.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hull and East Riding Museum</span> Museum in Kingston upon Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, England

The Hull and East Riding Museum of Archaeology is located in the Museums Quarter of the Old Town in Kingston upon Hull, England. It dates back to 1925 as the Museum of Commerce and Industry in a former Customs House but acquired its present name in 1989 with a major refurbishment and new entrance, with the transport section moving to a separate museum. It displays items from prehistoric to medieval in the area, many of them in life-size tableaux or reconstructions of rooms and buildings.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">County Hall, Dorchester</span> County building in Dorchester, Dorset, England

The County Hall is a municipal facility at Colliton Park in Dorchester, Dorset, England.

References

  1. 1 2 "Plans unveiled for 'world-class' Dorset County Museum". BBC News. 9 August 2016. Retrieved 20 August 2016.
  2. ↑ "Dorset County Museum expansion plans unveiled". BBC News. 25 July 2014. Retrieved 20 August 2016.
  3. ↑ "Dorset County Museum displays plans for its £13million project". Backmore Vale Magazine. 3 August 2016. Retrieved 20 August 2016.[ permanent dead link ]
  4. ↑ "Dorset County Museum awarded TripAdvisor Certificate of Excellence for fourth year running". Blackmore Vale Magazine. 1 August 2016. Retrieved 20 August 2016.[ permanent dead link ]
  5. ↑ Rees, Jess (9 August 2016). "Dorset County Museum unveil plans to the public for Heritage Lottery Funded project". Dorset Echo. Retrieved 20 August 2016.
  6. 1 2 Bevins, Trevor (2 August 2016). "Museum showcases development plans". View News. Archived from the original on 19 September 2016. Retrieved 20 August 2016.
  7. 1 2 Alfonso, Marie-Claire (30 May 2021). "Dorset Museum reopens after £16m transformation". Dorset Echo. Retrieved 31 May 2021.
  8. 1 2 "Dorset Museum reopens after £16m transformation". BBC News. 29 May 2021. Retrieved 31 May 2021.
  9. ↑ "Thomas Hardy's Dorset inspirations". BBC News. 1 May 2015. Retrieved 20 August 2016.
  10. ↑ "Hardy archive Dorset museum secures £10.4m funding". BBC News. 20 May 2015. Retrieved 20 August 2016.
  11. ↑ "TV archaeologist Julian Richards opens Ancient Dorset Gallery at Dorset County Museum". Blackmore Vale Magazine. 10 November 2015. Retrieved 20 August 2016.[ permanent dead link ]
  12. ↑ "Work starts on new Dorset County Museum gallery dedicated to Dorset's ancient history". Blackmore Vale Magazine. 10 December 2014. Archived from the original on 28 December 2015. Retrieved 20 August 2016.
  13. ↑ Hogger, Harry (27 July 2016). "Inspiring the next generation of William Barnes fans". Dorset Echo. Retrieved 20 August 2016.
  14. ↑ "The Yetties' Bonny Sartin opens refurbished William Barnes Gallery at Dorset County Museum". Blackmore Vale Magazine. 29 June 2016. Retrieved 20 August 2016.[ permanent dead link ]
  15. ↑ "Dorset Museum | Celebrating 250 million years of history".
  16. 1 2 "Mosaic Update". The Arts Society Blackmore Vale. Retrieved 20 August 2021.
  17. ↑ "The Mosaic, Hinton St. Mary village newsletter, September 2019" (PDF). Hinton St Mary – an idyllic Dorset village. Retrieved 20 August 2021.
  18. ↑ "The Mosaic, Hinton St. Mary village newsletter, September 2019" (PDF). Hinton St Mary – an idyllic Dorset village. Retrieved 20 August 2021.
  19. ↑ "Object: The Hinton St Mary Mosaic". Archived copy on Archive.is of original British Museum webpage. Archived from the original on 5 August 2021. Retrieved 20 August 2021.
  20. ↑ "ASPROM factsheet: The Hinton St Mary mosaic in the British Museum, 2013" (PDF). The Association for the Study and Preservation of Roman Mosaics. Archived from the original (PDF) on 20 August 2021. Retrieved 20 August 2021.
  21. ↑ "ASPROM News archive, June 2010: Please sign the Hinton St Mary petition!" . Retrieved 20 August 2021.
  22. ↑ "Second mosaic at Hinton St Mary leads to a history re-write". The Blackmore Vale, 2 July 2022. Retrieved 6 December 2022.
  23. 1 2 "Dorset County Museum". Historic England. Retrieved 20 August 2016.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.