Danum Gallery, Library and Museum

Danum Gallery, Library and Museum stands in Doncaster, South Yorkshire, on the site of the former Doncaster High School for Girls. The modern building links the old school façade with new glass and steel extensions. Inside, three main areas share the space: a gallery for art and history, a public library, and a museum of local life. The museum’s collections include natural history, archaeology, and military history, with objects from the town’s Roman past and industrial present. A new rail heritage centre displays two historic locomotives built in Doncaster, loaned from the National Railway Museum. The museum’s story began in 1909 when a small display opened in Beechfield House. It moved to Chequer Road in 1964 and won an award for audience growth in 2009. After a £14 million redevelopment, the current building opened in 2021. The collection holds the holotype of the extinct marine reptile Ichthyosaurus anningae, named in 2015. A Roman shield found in 1971 is also on display. The King’s Own Yorkshire Light Infantry regimental museum remains part of the site. Visitors find spacious galleries arranged over two floors, with natural light from large windows. The library offers quiet reading areas and local history resources. The rail heritage centre occupies a separate hall, where two powerful steam engines stand on short tracks. Outside, the entrance plaza leads to the preserved school façade, blending old and new architecture. The building’s design allows clear routes between each section, making it easy to move from art to archives to locomotives.