The Museum

 

The Dinosaurland Fossil Museum is aimed at children from 5 to 85 with an interest in fossils and dinosaurs. It houses a spectacular collection of the local Jurassic marine fossils and explains what they are, why they are there and what they mean.

The Map room introduces you to why Lyme Regis is so good for fossils and shows you where to go to find your own fossils.

 
 

The Fossil Collection takes up most of the ground floor of the building. It is a spectacular collection of the local 200 million year old Jurassic marine fossils ranging from the largest Ichthyosaur through ammonites, belemnites, fish and starfish to the tiniest microfossil. You will see the full range of what lived in the Jurassic sea in a way that might surprise you (did you know that at least 21 different types of belemnite are found in Lyme Regis?). More exotic exhibits include real Chinese dinosaurs, Russian trilobites and a 73 kilo lump of dinosaur dung!

Upstairs, the Time Gallery introduces you to the vastness of geological time and takes you through a tour showing how the continents and life have changed with time culminating in the monsters of the Age of the Dinosaurs.

The Natural History Room has a collection of modern shells and skeletons to show you how present day life evolved and how it is related to the dinosaurs and fossils in the museum.