Lapworth Museum of Geology
Encyclopedia
The Lapworth Museum of Geology is a major geological
museum
run by the University of Birmingham
in Edgbaston
, Birmingham
, England
.
The museum is located within the Grade II listed, Aston Webb Building, which retains the original Edwardian features. The museum has a history which dates back 1880. Named after Charles Lapworth
, an English
geologist, the museum houses over 250,000 specimens as well as geological maps, equipment, models, photograph
ic material, and also zoological
specimens and stone axes. Also in Lapworth's name is the Lapworth Archive, a detailed and extensive archive of his work housed within the Lapworth museum. The museum materials provide an invaluable teaching aid for the university's geology students.
Many specimens are from the Midlands
as well as the rest of the United Kingdom
. Among the collections is Wenlock Limestone of the Wenlock Group
from Dudley
including fossils dating to 420 million years. Solnholfen Limestone from Germany
are also on show to the public which includes fish
, dragonflies
, crab
s, lobster
s and pterosaur
s. Within the fish collections are fish from Brazil
, Italy
, Lebanon
and USA. Samples from the Burgess Shale
of British Columbia
consist of 510 million year old animals.
Many specimens that are taken from the UK were from old coal mining
fields where minerals were accessed. As a result of this collection, there are over 15,000 minerals documented. Minerals from the collection of William Murdoch
, an engineer who worked at Soho House
with James Watt
and Matthew Boulton
.
.
In 2009, the entire natural history collection of the Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery
was relocated to the Lapworth Museum with plans underway to drastically increase the amount of exhibition space to allow the collection to be displayed.
As of January 2011, the weekend opening hours have been extended; the museum is now open from 12.00 until 17.00.
The museum regularly used by schools, colleges and adult education groups as a teaching aid. Talks, hands on sessions and even "behind the scenes" tours can be arranged for visiting groups wishing to learn more about natural history.
The museum runs events at the University's annual community day each year. Visitors can expect to see activities for all the family such as gold panning and volcano building as well as a stall where visitors can bring fossil and rock specimens for identification. Refer to the University of Birmingham website for details of the next community day.
Saturday & Sunday 12.00 to 17.00
Closed on bank holidays
Admission is free
Geology
Geology is the science comprising the study of solid Earth, the rocks of which it is composed, and the processes by which it evolves. Geology gives insight into the history of the Earth, as it provides the primary evidence for plate tectonics, the evolutionary history of life, and past climates...
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...
run by the University of Birmingham
University of Birmingham
The University of Birmingham is a British Redbrick university located in the city of Birmingham, England. It received its royal charter in 1900 as a successor to Birmingham Medical School and Mason Science College . Birmingham was the first Redbrick university to gain a charter and thus...
in Edgbaston
Edgbaston
Edgbaston is an area in the city of Birmingham in England. It is also a formal district, managed by its own district committee. The constituency includes the smaller Edgbaston ward and the wards of Bartley Green, Harborne and Quinton....
, Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
, 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 is located within the Grade II listed, Aston Webb Building, which retains the original Edwardian features. The museum has a history which dates back 1880. Named after Charles Lapworth
Charles Lapworth
Charles Lapworth was an English geologist.-Biography:He was born at Faringdon in Berkshire and educated as a teacher at the Culham Diocesan Training College near Abingdon, Oxfordshire. He moved to the Scottish border region, where he investigated the previously little-known fossil fauna of the area...
, an English
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...
geologist, the museum houses over 250,000 specimens as well as geological maps, equipment, models, photograph
Photograph
A photograph is an image created by light falling on a light-sensitive surface, usually photographic film or an electronic imager such as a CCD or a CMOS chip. Most photographs are created using a camera, which uses a lens to focus the scene's visible wavelengths of light into a reproduction of...
ic material, and also zoological
Zoology
Zoology |zoölogy]]), is the branch of biology that relates to the animal kingdom, including the structure, embryology, evolution, classification, habits, and distribution of all animals, both living and extinct...
specimens and stone axes. Also in Lapworth's name is the Lapworth Archive, a detailed and extensive archive of his work housed within the Lapworth museum. The museum materials provide an invaluable teaching aid for the university's geology students.
Many specimens are from the Midlands
English Midlands
The Midlands, or the English Midlands, is the traditional name for the area comprising central England that broadly corresponds to the early medieval Kingdom of Mercia. It borders Southern England, Northern England, East Anglia and Wales. Its largest city is Birmingham, and it was an important...
as well as the rest of the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. Among the collections is Wenlock Limestone of the Wenlock Group
Wenlock Group
The Wenlock Group , in geology, is the middle series of strata in the Silurian of Great Britain. This group in the typical area in the Welsh border counties contains the following formations: Much Wenlock Limestone Formation, 90–300 ft.; Wenlock Shale, up to 1900 ft.; Woolhope or Barr...
from Dudley
Dudley
Dudley is a large town in the West Midlands county of England. At the 2001 census , the Dudley Urban Sub Area had a population of 194,919, making it the 26th largest settlement in England, the second largest town in the United Kingdom behind Reading, and the largest settlement in the UK without...
including fossils dating to 420 million years. Solnholfen Limestone from Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
are also on show to the public which includes fish
Fish
Fish are a paraphyletic group of organisms that consist of all gill-bearing aquatic vertebrate animals that lack limbs with digits. Included in this definition are the living hagfish, lampreys, and cartilaginous and bony fish, as well as various extinct related groups...
, dragonflies
Dragonfly
A dragonfly is a winged insect belonging to the order Odonata, the suborder Epiprocta or, in the strict sense, the infraorder Anisoptera . It is characterized by large multifaceted eyes, two pairs of strong transparent wings, and an elongated body...
, crab
Crab
True crabs are decapod crustaceans of the infraorder Brachyura, which typically have a very short projecting "tail" , or where the reduced abdomen is entirely hidden under the thorax...
s, lobster
Lobster
Clawed lobsters comprise a family of large marine crustaceans. Highly prized as seafood, lobsters are economically important, and are often one of the most profitable commodities in coastal areas they populate.Though several groups of crustaceans are known as lobsters, the clawed lobsters are most...
s and 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...
s. Within the fish collections are fish from Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, Lebanon
Lebanon
Lebanon , officially the Republic of LebanonRepublic of Lebanon is the most common term used by Lebanese government agencies. The term Lebanese Republic, a literal translation of the official Arabic and French names that is not used in today's world. Arabic is the most common language spoken among...
and USA. Samples from the Burgess Shale
Burgess Shale
The Burgess Shale Formation, located in the Canadian Rockies of British Columbia, is one of the world's most celebrated fossil fields, and the best of its kind. It is famous for the exceptional preservation of the soft parts of its fossils...
of British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
consist of 510 million year old animals.
Many specimens that are taken from the UK were from old coal mining
Coal mining
The goal of coal mining is to obtain coal from the ground. Coal is valued for its energy content, and since the 1880s has been widely used to generate electricity. Steel and cement industries use coal as a fuel for extraction of iron from iron ore and for cement production. In the United States,...
fields where minerals were accessed. As a result of this collection, there are over 15,000 minerals documented. Minerals from the collection of William Murdoch
William Murdoch
William Murdoch was a Scottish engineer and long-term inventor.Murdoch was employed by the firm of Boulton and Watt and worked for them in Cornwall, as a steam engine erector for ten years, spending most of the rest of his life in Birmingham, England.He was the inventor of the oscillating steam...
, an engineer who worked at Soho House
Soho House
Soho House , Matthew Boulton's home in Handsworth, Birmingham, England, is now a museum , celebrating his life, his partnership with James Watt and his membership of the Lunar Society of Birmingham. It was designed by Samuel Wyatt and work on the current building began in 1789...
with James Watt
James Watt
James Watt, FRS, FRSE was a Scottish inventor and mechanical engineer whose improvements to the Newcomen steam engine were fundamental to the changes brought by the Industrial Revolution in both his native Great Britain and the rest of the world.While working as an instrument maker at the...
and Matthew Boulton
Matthew Boulton
Matthew Boulton, FRS was an English manufacturer and business partner of Scottish engineer James Watt. In the final quarter of the 18th century the partnership installed hundreds of Boulton & Watt steam engines, which were a great advance on the state of the art, making possible the...
.
Recent news
In 2008 the museum was officially designated as possessing collections of outstanding national and international importance by the Museums, Libraries and Archives CouncilMuseums, Libraries and Archives Council
The Museums, Libraries and Archives Council is a non-departmental public body in England and a registered charity with a remit to promote improvement and innovation in the area of museums, libraries and archives...
.
In 2009, the entire natural history collection of the Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery
Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery
Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery is a museum and art gallery in Birmingham, England.Entrance to the Museum and Art Gallery is free, but some major exhibitions in the Gas Hall incur an entrance fee...
was relocated to the Lapworth Museum with plans underway to drastically increase the amount of exhibition space to allow the collection to be displayed.
As of January 2011, the weekend opening hours have been extended; the museum is now open from 12.00 until 17.00.
Events
The popular Lapworth Lecture Series are open to the public every other Monday, at 5pm, during term time. Refer to the Lapworth Museum website for a full list of guest speakers and dates.The museum regularly used by schools, colleges and adult education groups as a teaching aid. Talks, hands on sessions and even "behind the scenes" tours can be arranged for visiting groups wishing to learn more about natural history.
The museum runs events at the University's annual community day each year. Visitors can expect to see activities for all the family such as gold panning and volcano building as well as a stall where visitors can bring fossil and rock specimens for identification. Refer to the University of Birmingham website for details of the next community day.
Opening hours
Monday - Friday 9.00 to 17.00Saturday & Sunday 12.00 to 17.00
Closed on bank holidays
Admission is free