Lyme Regis Museum, Independent museum along the Jurassic Coast in Lyme Regis, England.
Lyme Regis Museum is an independent institution along the Jurassic Coast and houses a broad collection of fossils from the Jurassic period, maritime objects, and local memorabilia in a Grade II listed building. The facility serves as a repository of the region's geological and seafaring heritage within a structure that itself holds architectural value.
Built in 1902, the structure stands on the former site of Mary Anning's residence, the renowned fossil hunter who shaped the region in the early 19th century. Thomas Philpot commissioned the museum to safeguard the geological heritage of the area and make it accessible to the public.
The collections here connect to writers Jane Austen and John Fowles, both of whom found inspiration in Lyme Regis for their novels. You can see how the town shaped their imagination and continues to be tied to their literary legacy today.
The museum opens Tuesday through Sunday and offers guided fossil walks led by geologists alongside annual passes for regular visitors. Plan time to explore the collections and take advantage of the surrounding area, which holds other points of geological interest nearby.
A blue plaque marks where Mary Anning operated her first fossil shop in the early 1800s. This spot connects directly to her pioneering work in paleontology and shows how closely the museum's story ties to her legacy.
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