NEWS
Lyme Regis Museum is Open!

PRESS RELEASE: Lyme Regis Museum is Open!

Posted on: 18th July 2017

Yesterday morning at 10.00am the museum opened its doors to the public following the building of a brand-new extension, the Mary Anning Wing.

The new wing brings the museum up to date with improved visitor facilities including a lift, a new classroom and learning space, a brand new interactive fossil gallery and the most stunning sea views of Lyme Bay of any public building in the town.

Helping staff, volunteers and supporters to celebrate the opening of the doors after the ten-month build project was Mary Anning herself. Alongside her was Georges Cuvier, the father of French palaeontology, both characters courtesy of actors from theatre company Emerald Ant who brought the fossil hunter and her contemporaries to life in and around the museum on the first day of opening.

Museum Director, David Tucker, said “We’re thrilled to have the doors open again. It’s been an ambitious project and the extension will enable us to do so much more for so many more people. We’re very grateful to the Heritage Lottery Fund and our many other funders for their support for the Mary Anning Wing.”

There are celebratory events taking place over the next two weeks, including:

Saturday 22 July

Free open day for all DT7 residents. Just quote your postcode to gain free entry.

Sunday 23 July

Theatre company Emerald Ant will be in the museum bringing Mary Anning’s story to life.

Sunday 23 July

Fossil Talk in the new geology gallery at 2.30pm. Included in the price of admission tickets – don’t miss this fascinating talk from our expert geologists.

 

Wednesday 26 & Thursday 27 July

Children’s Dinosaur Sculpture Workshops with Darrell Wakelam. Darrell has been running these workshops for 25 years and they are not to be missed! Drop-in and help him to make a dinosaur sculpture! The workshops are free, but children must be accompanied by an adult at all times.

ENDS

Notes to Editors

Image: Staff, volunteers, Emerald Ant theatre company and supporters celebrate the reopening.  Image credit: Photograph Peter Wiles

About Lyme Regis Museum Trust

The promotion of object-centred learning in its widest sense is the foundation on which the Trust is anchored.  The Trust’s mission is to educate, inspire and entertain its visitors and users, encouraging aspiration in current and future audiences.  Our Trust recognizes that our museum has the potential to change lives through its activities, and this will be the guiding principle shaping our actions.

Lyme Regis Museum, a charity, is open all year and is supported by a talented team of volunteers who provide governance, expert advice on business and academic matters and research into Lyme’s history. Volunteers also actively fundraise on behalf of the museum, and operate the museum’s admission point and shop. Its auspicious patrons include author Tracy Chevalier, Professor Richard Lane, Professor Sir Ghillean Prance, Sir Crispin Tickell, Sir David Attenborough and previous Honorary Curator Max Hebditch. It is the most used museum by schools in Dorset.

About the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF)

Thanks to National Lottery players, we invest money to help people across the UK explore, enjoy and protect the heritage they care about – from the archaeology under our feet to the historic parks and buildings we love, from precious memories and collections to rare wildlife.  www.hlf.org.uk.  Follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram, and use #HLFsupported.