Rotunda – The William Smith Museum of Geology
Scarborough Museums Trust

www.rotundamuseum.org.uk

The Rotunda, originally opened in 1829, is one of the oldest surviving purpose-built museums in the country. Following a £4.5 million redevelopment, the Museum’s three main gallery spaces now tell the story of the role Scarborough played in the history of geology and how the science is just as important today.

It was a major challenge to repair the Grade II* listed building, designed by Richard Sharpe of York, and to install modern displays, visitor facilities and lift access while respecting the integrity of the historic building.

The Rotunda Gallery containing the original 1850s showcases, tells the story of the birth of geology, celebrates the life of William ‘Strata’ Smith (1769-1839), ‘the father of English geology’, and explains why the museum was built by the Scarborough Philosophical Society. The resulting gallery is object rich and visually stunning, a space that visitors find both surprising and delightful. The displays are a 21st Century interpretation of how the space may have looked when the museum opened.

The Gateway to the Dinosaur Coast gallery encourages people to explore the coast through a series of interactives and themed trails, while Shell Geology Now focuses on the story of modern geological discoveries and how geology impacts our daily lives.

This hugely successful project has been the first major museum redevelopment in Scarborough for 60 years and has rekindled Scarborough’s pride and passion for one of her most significant adoptive sons.

Some of your comments:

I visited the museum for the first time last week for an Art Fund reception. I was amazed by the quality of the restoration & fascinated by the displays. I think this very precious museum with its original showcases upstairs would be a worthy winner of the prize. Geology owes much to William Smith and it is wonderful to have his museum restored.to glory.
Veronica Pettifer, Barton upon Humber

My vote goes to Scarborough’s Rotunda. I grew up in the town and visiting the Rotunda as a child gave me a life-long interest in history, archaeology and geology. This weekend I visited the museum for the first time since its re-design and was prepared to be disappointed because I believed it was impossible to modernise it without losing its original atmosphere. I was wrong.   The Rotunda now has an engaging and extended collection without losing any of its charm and with no question of the ‘dumbing-down’ that I feared would happen.  It commemorates the life and work of a little-known figure who had such a huge impact on the future of earth sciences. William Smith should have more fame than he has ever received and I believe the grant would give the museum the opportunity to promote him and give his work the wider audience that it deserves. 
Anne Jeffery, Castle Donington

This museum deserves to win the "Museum of the Year" firstly because of its uniqueness and its geographical location along the Yorkshire coast.  Secondly, it has so much to offer our young people in becoming interested in geology and hopefully creating careers for themselves.
Austen Sleightholme, Scarborough

This museum is fascinating for both adults and children.  It has a very active outreach program of walks and demonstrations.  It has greatly improved the total culural life of Scarborough and the area. It also has a very active Geology Group who have lectures and walks that are open to all.
Paul McCabe, Scarborough

We visited the Rotunda Museum for the first time on 28th March.  From being greeted at reception with very friendly and comprehensive information to making our way around the numerable exhibits was a most enjoyable experience.  The building itself has been renovated to a very high and very sympathetic standard.  We enjoyed our visit so much that we purchased an annual membership ticket, and look forward to bringing our grandchildren to see the educational but fun child friendly exhibits.
Carol Danby, York

It’s great, skeletons, dinosaurs and fossils.  I am 9 and love it and it’s on my doorstep.  I went on a walk with the experts and found dinosaur footprints near the beach.  WOW, I never knew they were there!
Max Lamprecht, Scarborough

Unique is, perhaps, an overused expression but when applied to the re-development of the Rotunda it is totally appropriate.  Where else is there a museum nearly 200 years old that is still used for its original purpose?  The extension and re-modelling of the building is such that it is difficult to 'see the join'!  The three galleries reflect the development of geology since the 'father' of the science, William Smith, arranged the first displays of fossils in tiered steps to illustrate his idea of succession.  How amazed Smith would be to see the new technology in the Geology Now Gallery.  And how he would delight in the displays to encourage young and old to visit the local coast and hills.  The design of the Rotunda Gallery would look familiar to Smith.  Here are the fossils and the people with whom he associated all linked with local culture and history.
Alan Staniforth, Whitby

As a fairly recent resident of Scarborough, having retired here, I should like to emphasise the importance of the redeveloped Rotunda, the William Smith Museum of Geology.  The father of British geology has been rightly commemorated in the Rotunda for many years.  However, we now have a truly worthy complement to the many other attractions this town has to offer, such as a world-class theatre and various national and internationally noted festivals.  With this initiative, the singularly attractive Rotunda has come at last into its own.  Those behind this initiative are to be congratulated on the imaginative way this building and its exhibits have been so markedly improved and expanded.  This town is even prouder, because of the Rotunda!
Howard Dolan, Scarborough

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