Dinosaur Isle
Encyclopedia
Dinosaur Isle is a purpose-built dinosaur
museum located on the Isle of Wight
in southern England
.
The museum
was designed by Isle of Wight architects Rainey Petrie Johns in the shape of a giant pterosaur
. It claims to be the first custom-built dinosaur museum in Europe
. The £2.7 million cost of the museum was provided by Isle of Wight Council
and the National Lottery
Millennium Commission. Dinosaur Isle opened to visitors on 20 August 2001.
The museum features numerous replica fossils and life-sized models of Iguanodon
, Polacanthus
, Eotyrannus
and Neovenator
- the latter is animatronic. The Neovenator
was discovered and named by the museum's curator Steve Hutt. Guests are given the opportunity to speak to experts and watch them at work.
in 1819 and over the next fifty years the collection grew and expanded into local history, archaeology and geology objects. In 1913 the Society’s geological specimens were transferred to Sandown Library, and arranged to form a museum, first opening to the public in 1923 and known as the Museum of Isle of Wight Geology. The collection became the property of the Sandown
and Shanklin
Urban District Council, but was curated by the Isle of Wight Natural History Society until 1942. From the late 1940s until 1974 the Borough Council employed a succession of honorary custodians. From time to time the collection was added to by material from older museums at Ventnor
and Ryde
.
In 1974 the Geology Collections came into the care of the Isle of Wight Council
, which since appointed full time curators to care for them. In 2001, the Museum of Isle of Wight Geology vacated the premises above Sandown Library, moving to the newly built Dinosaur Isle in its current location.
to Early Oligocene and Pleistocene age
. The collection contains partial and near complete dinosaur skeletons, including the type of Neovenator salerii, the museums most notable collection. Other type and figured material includes Cretaceous and Palaeogene molluscs and vertebrates. Representative rock and mineral specimens from the island are also included in the collection.
Dinosaur
Dinosaurs are a diverse group of animals of the clade and superorder Dinosauria. They were the dominant terrestrial vertebrates for over 160 million years, from the late Triassic period until the end of the Cretaceous , when the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event led to the extinction of...
museum located on the Isle of Wight
Isle of Wight
The Isle of Wight is a county and the largest island of England, located in the English Channel, on average about 2–4 miles off the south coast of the county of Hampshire, separated from the mainland by a strait called the Solent...
in southern England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
.
The museum
Museum
A museum is an institution that cares for a collection of artifacts and other objects of scientific, artistic, cultural, or historical importance and makes them available for public viewing through exhibits that may be permanent or temporary. Most large museums are located in major cities...
was designed by Isle of Wight architects Rainey Petrie Johns in the shape of a giant pterosaur
Pterosaur
Pterosaurs were flying reptiles of the clade or order Pterosauria. They existed from the late Triassic to the end of the Cretaceous Period . Pterosaurs are the earliest vertebrates known to have evolved powered flight...
. It claims to be the first custom-built dinosaur museum in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
. The £2.7 million cost of the museum was provided by Isle of Wight Council
Isle of Wight Council
The Isle of Wight Council is a local council. It is a unitary authority covering the Isle of Wight, South East England. It is currently made up of 40 seats, with the Conservatives as ruling party with 24 councillors at the latest local election in June 2009....
and the National Lottery
National Lottery (United Kingdom)
The National Lottery is the state-franchised national lottery in the United Kingdom and the Isle of Man.It is operated by Camelot Group, to whom the licence was granted in 1994, 2001 and again in 2007. The lottery is regulated by the National Lottery Commission, and was established by the then...
Millennium Commission. Dinosaur Isle opened to visitors on 20 August 2001.
The museum features numerous replica fossils and life-sized models of Iguanodon
Iguanodon
Iguanodon is a genus of ornithopod dinosaur that lived roughly halfway between the first of the swift bipedal hypsilophodontids and the ornithopods' culmination in the duck-billed dinosaurs...
, Polacanthus
Polacanthus
Polacanthus, deriving its name from the Ancient Greek poly-/πολυ- "many" and acantha/ακανθα "thorn" or "prickle", was an early armored, spiked, plant-eating ankylosaur from the early Cretaceous period. Early depictions often gave it a very vague head as it was only known from the rear half of the...
, Eotyrannus
Eotyrannus
Eotyrannus was a genus of tyrannosauroid theropod dinosaur hailing from the Early Cretaceous Wessex Formation beds, included in Wealden Group, located in the southwest coast of the Isle of Wight, United Kingdom...
and Neovenator
Neovenator
Neovenator is a genus of allosauroid dinosaur. Since its discovery on the Isle of Wight, UK, it has become one of the best-known large carnivorous dinosaurs in Europe. Neovenator was at first considered possibly a new species of Megalosaurus. It measured approximately 7.5 meters in length,...
- the latter is animatronic. The Neovenator
Neovenator
Neovenator is a genus of allosauroid dinosaur. Since its discovery on the Isle of Wight, UK, it has become one of the best-known large carnivorous dinosaurs in Europe. Neovenator was at first considered possibly a new species of Megalosaurus. It measured approximately 7.5 meters in length,...
was discovered and named by the museum's curator Steve Hutt. Guests are given the opportunity to speak to experts and watch them at work.
History
The geological collections owned by Dinosaur Isle have evolved and expanded from collections made by 19th century naturalists. The Isle of Wight Philosophical Society founded a museum in NewportNewport, Isle of Wight
Newport is a civil parish and a county town of the Isle of Wight, an island off the south coast of England. Newport has a population of 23,957 according to the 2001 census...
in 1819 and over the next fifty years the collection grew and expanded into local history, archaeology and geology objects. In 1913 the Society’s geological specimens were transferred to Sandown Library, and arranged to form a museum, first opening to the public in 1923 and known as the Museum of Isle of Wight Geology. The collection became the property of the Sandown
Sandown
Sandown is a seaside resort town and civil parish on the southeast coast of the Isle of Wight, England, neighbouring the town of Shanklin to the south. Sandown Bay is the name of the bay off the English Channel which both towns share, and it is notable for its long stretch of easily accessible...
and Shanklin
Shanklin
Shanklin is a popular seaside resort and civil parish on the Isle of Wight, England, located on the east coast's Sandown Bay. The sandy beach, its Old Village and a wooded ravine, Shanklin Chine, are its main attractions. The esplanade along the beach is occupied by hotels and restaurants for the...
Urban District Council, but was curated by the Isle of Wight Natural History Society until 1942. From the late 1940s until 1974 the Borough Council employed a succession of honorary custodians. From time to time the collection was added to by material from older museums at Ventnor
Ventnor
Ventnor is a seaside resort and civil parish established in the Victorian era on the south coast of the Isle of Wight, England. It lies underneath St Boniface Down , and is built on steep slopes and cliffs leading down to the sea...
and Ryde
Ryde
Ryde is a British seaside town, civil parish and the most populous town and urban area on the Isle of Wight, with a population of approximately 30,000. It is situated on the north-east coast. The town grew in size as a seaside resort following the joining of the villages of Upper Ryde and Lower...
.
In 1974 the Geology Collections came into the care of the Isle of Wight Council
Isle of Wight Council
The Isle of Wight Council is a local council. It is a unitary authority covering the Isle of Wight, South East England. It is currently made up of 40 seats, with the Conservatives as ruling party with 24 councillors at the latest local election in June 2009....
, which since appointed full time curators to care for them. In 2001, the Museum of Isle of Wight Geology vacated the premises above Sandown Library, moving to the newly built Dinosaur Isle in its current location.
Collections
The Collections currently consist of about 30,000 geological specimens, mainly fossils. They reflect the breadth of the Island’s geological history, ranging from Early CretaceousEarly Cretaceous
The Early Cretaceous or the Lower Cretaceous , is the earlier or lower of the two major divisions of the Cretaceous...
to Early Oligocene and Pleistocene age
Pleistocene
The Pleistocene is the epoch from 2,588,000 to 11,700 years BP that spans the world's recent period of repeated glaciations. The name pleistocene is derived from the Greek and ....
. The collection contains partial and near complete dinosaur skeletons, including the type of Neovenator salerii, the museums most notable collection. Other type and figured material includes Cretaceous and Palaeogene molluscs and vertebrates. Representative rock and mineral specimens from the island are also included in the collection.