This year, the Dinosaur Museum is celebrates its 25th anniversary. The Museum opened in 1984, in Dorchester, gateway to Dorset’s World Heritage Jurassic Coast. From the very beginning visitors loved its novel and innovative approach to dinosaurs, and It quickly became the Town’s foremost visitor attraction bringing, over the years, millions of dinosaur hungry families and schools to the county town.

Jackie Ridley, the Museum’s Director, said “The Museum was an instant success when it opened. People were really excited. At the time it was a complete departure from the rather academic and stuffy “hands-off’ approach of conventional museums.” She continued “We tried to be user friendly using entertaining methods of communication and not to talk down to visitors”

The Dinosaur Museum was the first museum in Britain to use computers in a display environment with specially written programs. It also invented the ‘Feely Box’ the most popular of all the hands on displays that has since spread to become a standard hands-on display in many museums.

25 years ago, the Dinosaur Museum broke new ground with its unique approach to its displays and method of communicating with its visitors. This approach has influenced major museums in Britain and abroad.

Many representatives from other museums and dinosaur projects have sought the Museum’s help in applying the Dinosaur Museum’s innovative approach and techniques to their own institutions & environments.

These include:

  • Eureka! , the children’s museum in Halifax,
  • The Ulster Museum, Dept of Geology,
  • The Dudley Museum
  • The Valcidacos Dinosaur Project, in Rioja, Spain.
  • The Beijing Natural History Museum

In 1985 the Museum was nominated for the European Museum of the Year Award. Since then it has won many accolades including twice being voted one of Britain’s Top Ten Hands on Museums, as well as Dorset’s Family Attraction of the Year. Most recently it was chosen as one of Britain’s Ten Best Child-Friendly Museums.

The Dinosaur Museum has consistently enthralled and entertained visitors with its mix of fossils, skeletons, and dinosaur reconstructions combined with hands on and multimedia displays. Many who visited the Museum as children have fond memories and are now returning with their own families.

Tim Batty, the Museum’s Curator is enthusiastic about the future. He said “The Museum is an interpretative museum. To achieve this, we continue to add new ideas and innovations, bringing new approaches that we hope will bring dinosaurs to new generations in the 21st century.

The Dinosaur Museum is a family museum and has frequently appeared on television, usually in children’s programmes such as Blue Peter, the Tweenies and many others.

As part of its policy of supporting national and local charities it has helped Children in Need and The World Wild Life Fund for Nature. One of its dinosaurs claimed the record for wearing the biggest red nose in its effort to raise money for Red Nose Day.