Lyme Regis Museum

Lyme Regis Museum stands on the seafront in the Dorset town of Lyme Regis, built where the home of the famous fossil hunter Mary Anning once stood. The present building was commissioned in 1901 by Thomas Philpot and designed by George Vialls, who also created the nearby Town Hall. Its walls hold fossils from the Jurassic Coast, local rocks and stories of ships and sailors. Portraits and letters recall writers who lived in or visited the town, including Jane Austen and John Fowles. Outside, a Coade stone ammonite set into the pavement links the town’s ceramic past with its fossil fame. The museum recognises the town’s deep connection with palaeontology through displays of ammonites, ichthyosaurs and other Jurassic creatures. Visitors learn how Mary Anning uncovered these remains in the cliffs around Lyme Regis during the early 19th century. The Philpot sisters, fellow collectors and friends of Anning, helped shape the collections that now fill the galleries. Geology cabinets show how the layers of the coast were laid down millions of years ago. Maritime exhibits describe the town’s long history as a port and shipbuilding centre. Inside, the museum offers rooms filled with fossils, rocks and artefacts from Lyme Regis and its surroundings. A gallery devoted to Mary Anning tells the story of her discoveries and her life in the town. Cases display ammonites cast in Coade stone, a material invented locally in the 18th century. Visitors can also see personal items belonging to writers who stayed in Lyme Regis. Outside, the ammonite pavement leads the eye along the seafront towards the Cobb, the town’s ancient harbour wall.