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Dorset County Museum

At the Dorset County Museum is the place where a story of Dorset's rich landscape unfolds in a range of fascinating displays. The Museum was founded in 1846 to help protect and record the county's unique historical and natural environment. The Museum is housed in a beautiful, gothic-style building, which dates from 1884. Its diverse collections include Roman mosaics, original Thomas Hardy manuscripts and fossilised dinosaur footprints.

Today visitors to the Museum can find out about local writers, history, archaeology, geology and the natural sciences in one of the Museum's many galleries. There are also video displays, activity carts for children and an audio-guide to take you round the exhibits. The Temporary Exhibition Gallery is used to show a broad programme of exhibitions, covering a variety of topics, from art and photography to literature and the Natural Sciences.
The Dorset County Museum and the Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society hosts a lively programme of events, including lectures, study days and concerts. With talks spanning the natural sciences, geology, archaeology, history, travel and literature there should be something for everyone.

This season you can hear about life in Roman Dorchester, prehistoric landscapes or the effects of climate change on our flora and fauna. Their Literary Series has now become an annual event, tackling a wide range of topics from Victorian poetry to the future of fiction.
http://www.dorsetcountymuseum.org/index.htm