Museum Events in May

LYME REGIS FOSSIL FESTIVAL

SATURDAY and SUNDAY 5 and 6 May

Free entry to Museum - Download flyer
See superb fossils and William Buckland’s coprolite table. Discover the extraordinary story of Mary Anning and – this weekend only - see archives that shed light on the geologists she associated with courtesy of the Museum of Wales.

Ammonite Polishing: Polishing has never been this much fun! Turn your ammonite into the most glittery fossil of all time, with help from Paddy, Chris, Harry and Ben. Both days 10am-4pm in the marquee. Small charge for the ammonite.

Paint your own Fossil Plaster Cast: Make and take home – family fun activities with Phil Anslow. Both days 11am-3pm in the marquee. Small charge for materials.

Family Fossil Hunting Walk: SATURDAY 9.45am and SUNDAY 10.45am. Get hands-on on the Jurassic Coast with the Museum’s celebrity fossil hunters Paddy Howe and Chris Andrew. Educational and fun. Maximum of 15 people per guide. Walk takes 3 hours. To book – telephone 01297 443370 or email walks@lymeregismuseum.co.uk. Adults £10, Children £5.  Meet at museum.

Mary Anning and her Geologist Friends: SATURDAY 11am and SUNDAY 3pm. Share the thoughts of the 19th-century gentlemen fossil hunters who became Mary Anning’s friends. Illustrated by archives from National Museum of Wales, Tom Sharpe talks about the unusual relationships between Mary Anning and Buckland, Conybeare and De la Beche. FREE - no booking required. Suitable for age 12 and above.  Venue: museum.

Dinner with Dr Buckland: SATURDAY AND SUNDAY 12noon. Nineteenth-century scientist-clergyman William Buckland boasted that he had eaten his way through the whole of animal creation. Neither sentimentality nor revulsion stopped him devouring slices of crocodile, hedgehogs, puppies and mice. Join him for dinner! Harry Ford plays Dr Buckland in a performance of William Plomer’s outrageous comic verse. FREE - no booking required.  Venue: museum.

Mary Anning Walk: SATURDAY 1.30pm. Explore the paths and streets of Old Lyme as Mary Anning knew them with guide Natalie Manifold. Walk takes about 1½ hours. To book – telephone 01297 443370 or email walks@lymeregismuseum.co.uk. Adults £6, Children £3.  Meet at museum.

What Kept Ammonites Afloat? SATURDAY 3pm and SUNDAY 11am. Insight into the lifestyle of Lyme’s quintessential fossils; how they lived, were bitten and played host to hitch-hiking worm tubes! A reconstruction of the lifespan of an ammonite, by Prof Chris Paul. FREE - no booking required. Suitable for age 12 and above.  Venue: museum.

MUSEUMS AT NIGHT

FRIDAY 18 MAY

Come to Museums at Night, the annual after-hours celebration of the arts, culture and heritage at Lyme Regis Museum – free entry.

Hedge Britannia at 6.30pm: Author Hugh Barker talks about his enthusiasm for the hedgerows and hedges that shape our landscape and are among our most ancient monuments. From segregated fields and twisting hedgerows to hedge-laying champions and topiary-tenders – no aspect of the hedge world escapes him. Free. No booking required.

Drinks at 7.30pm: Refreshments and book signing by Hugh Barker.

Museums at Night Moth Ball at 8pm: What do moths get up to at night? Find out during this evening with Dr Phil Sterling – a talk, followed at dusk by a walk to see the nightlife of the local moth world. We will walk to an area off Charmouth Road, Lyme Regis, to see what species are attracted to our lights, captured, identified then released. Dr Sterling is Dorset County Council’s natural environment manager and ecologist, also the county moth recorder. He will be assisted by entomologist Alan Kennard and museum zoologist Chris Andrew Free. Please make a booking for the Moth Ball to avoid disappointment – numbers are limited: telephone 01297 443370 or email walks@lymeregismuseum.co.uk Sensible shoes needed – and sequins if you would like!

WALKS

E-mail walks@lymeregismuseum.co.uk to book your place...

Fossil Walks

• Friday 4 May 2012 09.00
• Saturday 5 May 2012 9.45
• Sunday 6 May 2012 10.45
• Monday 7 May 2012 11.30
• Tuesday 8 May 2012 12.15
• Friday 18 May 2012 09.00
• Saturday 19 May 2012 09.30
• Sunday 20 May 2012 10.15
• Monday 21 May 2012 10.45
• Tuesday 22 May 2012 11.15
• Thursday 24 May 2012 12.30
• Friday 25 May 2012 13.00
• Saturday 26 May 2012 13.30

Mary Anning Walks

• Saturday 5 May 2012 13.30
• Sunday 13 May 2012 13.30
• Saturday 19 May 2012 13.30
• Saturday 26 May 2012 13.30
• Sunday 27 May 2012 13.30

Rockpooling Walks

• May 9 14.15
• May 10 15.00
• May 11 15.30
• May 23 13.00
• May 27 15.30