The Etches Collection

The Etches Collection
View of the building housing The Etches Collection from the main road in Kimmeridge
Established2016
LocationKimmeridge, Dorset, United Kingdom
FounderSteve Etches
ArchitectKennedy O'Callagahan Architects
Websitetheetchescollection.org
View of the main gallery in The Etches Collection
The founder Steve Etches in the workshop at The Etches Collection

The Etches Collection (also known as the Museum of Jurassic Marine Life) is an independent fossil museum located in the village of Kimmeridge, Dorset, England. It is based on the lifetime collection of Steve Etches, a fossil hunter for whom some of his finds have been named, from the local area on the Jurassic Coast, a SSSI and World Heritage Site, especially around Kimmeridge Bay and the Kimmeridge Ledges.

Building

The museum building was opened in 2016 at a cost of £5 million to house a collection of over 2,000 fossil specimens so that they would remain accessible beyond the lifetime of Steve Etches.

Collection

Etches had been collecting for over 30 years prior to the museum opening, and in that time he amassed a collection of fossils of international scientific importance that form the basis of the collection. The collection includes examples of ammonite eggs and fossils from the Upper Jurassic Kimmeridge Clay Formation including Thalassodraco etchesi.

In 2026, Big Sara, an Allosaurus skeleton, was lent to the collection to be on display for the next two years. Big Sara is currently the only real dinosaur skeleton on public display in Dorset, and is additionally the only real allosaurus skeleton on display in the United Kingdom.

See also

References

  1. ↑ "The Etches Collection, Museum of Jurassic Marine Life". Kennedy O'Callagahan Architects. Retrieved 22 August 2017.
  2. ↑ Draper, Brian; Green, Howard (30 January 2020). Soulful Nature: A spiritual field guide. Canterbury Press. ISBN 978-1-78622-147-6.
  3. ↑ Williams, Matt (February 2017). "The Etches Collection, Kimmeridge, Dorset". Museums Journal. 117 (2). UK: Museums Association: 52–55.
  4. ↑ Fox, Alex (16 December 2020). "Amateur Fossil Hunter Discovers New 'Sea Dragon' Species on British Beach". Smithsonian Magazine. Retrieved 17 March 2021.
  5. ↑ "New species of ichthyosaur found on Dorset's Jurassic Coast". BBC News. 10 December 2020. Retrieved 17 March 2021.
  6. ↑ Larwood, Jonathan (1 June 2019). "The Jurassic Coast: Geoscience and education – An overview". Proceedings of the Geologists' Association. 130 (3): 265–273. doi:10.1016/j.pgeola.2019.05.005. ISSN 0016-7878. S2CID 197571174.
  7. 1 2 Sherwood, Harriet (4 November 2016). "Fossil fever: exploring Dorset's Jurassic Coast with Steve Etches". the Guardian. Retrieved 17 March 2021.
  8. ↑ "From his garage to a multi-million pound museum: Plumber's incredible Jurassic treasure is unveiled". Dorset Echo. Retrieved 17 March 2021.
  9. ↑ "New museum at Kimmeridge for Etches Collection of fossils". BBC News. UK: BBC. 21 October 2016. Retrieved 22 August 2017.
  10. ↑ Shaw, Alice (12 August 2016). "Amateur fossil hunter who spent 30 years amassing 2,000 specimens wins grant to build £5m Jurassic Coast museum". Daily Telegraph. UK. Retrieved 22 August 2017.
  11. ↑ Jacobs, Megan L.; Martill, David M. (9 December 2020). "A new ophthalmosaurid ichthyosaur from the Upper Jurassic (Early Tithonian) Kimmeridge Clay of Dorset, UK, with implications for Late Jurassic ichthyosaur diversity". PLOS ONE. 15 (12) e0241700. Bibcode:2020PLoSO..1541700J. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0241700. ISSN 1932-6203. PMC 7725355. PMID 33296370.
  12. ↑ Etches, Steve; Clarke, Jane; Callomon, John (October 2008). "Ammonite eggs and ammonitellae from the Kimmeridge Clay Formation (Upper Jurassic) of Dorset, England". Lethaia. 42 (2): 204–217. doi:10.1111/j.1502-3931.8.00133.x.
  13. ↑ "Big Sara the allosaurus roars into Kimmeridge museum". Swanage News. 28 February 2026. Retrieved 13 July 2026.
  14. ↑ "Big Sara". The Etches Collection. Retrieved 13 July 2026.

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