The Rotunda design was proposed by William Smith. In 1815 he created the first geological map of England and Wales. Whilst working in mines as a surveyor he observed and recorded the layers of rock and coal exposed by miners. Together with similar observations on canals, these formed the basis for his theories of sratigraphy (the study of layers of rock). He noticed that the same types of fossil groups could be found in specific layers of rock and led to his theory of the Principle of Faunal Succession. His nickname was ‘Strata’ Smith. He retired to Scarborough and also offered advice on how the Scarborough Philosophical Society should display the geological and fossil specimens within their new museum. Adam Sedgwick, the Geological Society of London’s President, called Smith the ‘Father of English Geology.’ 

Fossils

The entrance was on the ground floor level and after paying a small fee, I climbed a spiral staircase to the first floor.  This housed some of the items from their extensive fossil collection. The Museum owns over 5,500 fossils and 3,000 minerals. Most of the fossils on display had been found along Yorkshire’s Dinosaur Coast stretching from Redcar to Flamborough. Most of the fossils were on display in the east wing. There was a wide variety including Crocodile, Fish, Plants, Ammonites, Sponges,  Starfish, Ichthyosaur bones (including skull, vertebrae and teeth), teeth of a Woolly Rhinoceros, Mammoth and Hyenas and a Walrus skull. This was the first time I’d ever heard of a Woolly Rhinoceros. Some of the fossils were quite large and I found the level of detail on several items fascinating, particularly the Sponges and the ‘Ammonite Death Assemblage.’ A few of the fossils mentioned their source as Kirkdale Cave and I did a bit of research on this. It is a cave in the Vale of Pickering where fossilised bones were found from a variety of animals in 1821. It is thought that the bones came from the remains of animals that were brought in by Hyenas who used the cave as a den. The find included fossils for Hippopotamuses, Straight-Tusk Elephants, Narrow-Nosed Rhinoceros and Cave Hyenas. That was a few more animals to add to my ‘previously unknown animals’ list. I guess young kids might not be attracted to a bunch of stones and so there was a mini T-Rex at one end of the room. In truth, it wasn’t a massive display and after about 20 minutes I ascended the spiral staircase to the second floor. 

Main Museum

There was a bit of a ‘Wow’ factor as the main part of the Museum came into view. The dome looked spectacular. There was a central circular window. The roof also contained other smaller windows, arranged in a circle, but only four of these let light in, presumably to reduce the amount of light entering the museum and damaging the artefacts. The circular wall of the room was lined with display cases filled with items to view. It would have been an ideal way to view the artefacts, if the light levels had been higher. I found it difficult even to read some of the notes associated with the items. It was an eclectic mix of items including fossils, pictures, pottery, sculptures, well…just about anything you could think of. There was an old, moveable staircase that could be wheeled around the room to access the higher cabinets, but this was an historical item itself and was out of bounds.  Touring the display cabinets did feel like stepping back in time, something I’ve not felt in more modern museums. After the tour of the display cases, I descended the spiral staircase back to the entrance.    

The Scarborough Rotunda Museum wasn’t huge and didn’t hold a massive collection, but there were definitely some interesting artefacts on display. I particularly like the fossils in the east wing. The building was a very interesting design and greatly added to the experience. The ticket for the Scarborough Rotunda Museum also allowed access to the Scarborough Art Gallery and that’s where I headed next.