Lyme Regis Museum

David Attenborough described the Museum as "A delightful and remarkable museum, a jewel."

The Museum stands in the heart of the town, just where the beautiful coastlines of Dorset and Devon meet. The building has great idiosyncratic charm. Built in 1900-01 by Thomas Philpot, it was restored and extended in 1991.

World-famous for its fossils, Lyme Regis was home to the fossil hunter, Mary Anning. The town has long been a holiday place and a draw for writers and artists, such as Jane Austen, J.McNeill Whistler and John Fowles. 

Here you can also find the stories of the Monmouth Rebellion, the Cobb and the coast and take part in fossil walks and rockpooling.

Fossil fish

Fossils, like this fish, are collected and prepared by the Museum's geologist, Paddy Howe. Paddy runs fossil walks which leave from the museum. See the website for details.

Watercolour of the Great Landslip of 1839

The coast around Lyme Regis is unstable and landslips occur frequently. A huge landslip occurred in 1839 and was recorded by several artists. The museum displays a good collection of local paintings and photographs.

Geology gallery

Despite the small size of the building, we fit in several large fossils. These are ichthyosaur skeletons.

Lace bonnet from Jane Austen's family

Jane Austen visited Lyme Regis in 1804 and wrote about the town in her novel 'Persuasion'. The museum's literary gallery houses items given by her descendants and collections relating to the authors Henry Fielding, G.K.Chesterton, Beatrix Potter and John Fowles.