The Dorset County Museum

The Dorset County Museum

Dorset County Museum is, in effect, the Museum of Dorset. Inside this family-friendly museum you will find displays of Dorset history from the earliest times including archaeology, geology and famous figures from the past. The impressive Victorian Hall features beautiful Roman mosaics while the Dorchester Gallery follows the 6,000 year time-line of Dorchester.

Find out about the nearby Jurassic Coast through exciting interactive presentations covering all 95 miles of this famous World Heritage Site. Don't miss the huge pliosaur skull!

The early history of Dorset is traced through thousands of objects excavated from barrows and hillforts including Neolithic axe-heads, Bronze Age ornaments and Iron Age warriors.

Learn about the life and work of Dorset's best-loved writer, Thomas Hardy, and discover more about rural life in Georgian and Victorian times by taking a walk through a traditional blacksmith's forge, a working barn and the interior of a simple cottage.

Review

With Dorchester being the county town of Dorset it seemed only fitting to have the Dorset County Museum as one of our Top 100 Attractions in this book. But being the county town isn't the only reason we chose this museum, we chose it because it is a true hidden gem. With a wide variety of things to see and learn about, this museum really did take me by surprise. Some attractions think that they can just throw a few exhibits together and call themselves a museum, but believe me this is not the case. People really do expect more from attractions nowadays and the Dorset County Museum really have thought very carefully about the exhibits they have on offer, and have made themselves just as attractive to children as they have adults. With new exhibits being brought online all the time, there are loads of things to do as well as see.