Building up to the launch of the Curiosity Box series next February I have been looking for curiosities to put on the website in the form of a curiosity quiz. However on a recent journey along the North Yorkshire coast I came across a building which was itself a curiosity.
It is the Rotunda Museum in Scarborough.
The Rotunda Museum in Scarborough
As the name suggests it is a circular building which opened as a museum in 1829 and is one of the world’s first purpose built museums. It was designed by William Smith which is considered by many to be the Father of Geology and the museum is packed with geological specimens which are displayed in a unique circular gallery.
In a side gallery is a display which takes you back to the time of the dinosaurs (Jurassic period) in Scarborough. It is one of the best displays of its kind I have ever seen.
The Rotunda Museum with its side gallery
To find out more about this truly scientific curiosity
To find out more about William Smith try this link and watch two films about his work.
