Dudley Museum and Art Gallery
Encyclopedia
Dudley Museum and Art Gallery is a public museum
and art gallery
located in the town centre of Dudley
in the West Midlands
, England
. It was opened in 1883, situated within buildings on St James's Road, and has remained at this site ever since.
exhibits are the 'most important collection' at the museum and are drawn from a collection of approximately 15,000 fossil
s from the local area including nearby Wren's Nest
hill and Wren's Nest. The two geology exhibits are 'Dudley Unearthed' and 'Fantastic Fossils'.
The 'Dudley Unearthed' area contains a set of interpretative displays that relate the geology of the area to the history of the industrial revolution, with regularly changing features on the geology of both the local area and the rest of the world, including information on Dudley Volcano. Fossils formed by the eruption of the volcano around 315 million years ago are also on display.
'Fantastic Fossils' showcases Silurian
and Carboniferous
fossils, with examples of fossilised corals and shellfish, Crinoids, Gastropods, Trilobites, Cephalopods, worm tubes and fossilised speciments from the forest canopy and ground covering and primitive plants.
and one of the earliest dinosaurs, Thecodontosaurus
.
and inro
, Bilston enamels, commemorative medals, Greek, Roman and Egyptian pottery and personal memorabilia relating to Brooke Robinson and his two wives.
Duncan Edwards
, who was born in the town in 1936, and won two Football League title medals with Manchester United
and was capped 18 times by the England national football team
until he died from injuries sustained in the Munich air disaster
in February 1958, when still only 21. There are plans to introduce other local sporting heroes in the future.
, including oil paintings, watercolours, engravings and prints, which are rotated in and out of display. Among these are works by local artist Percy Shakespeare
.
Museum
A museum is an institution that cares for a collection of artifacts and other objects of scientific, artistic, cultural, or historical importance and makes them available for public viewing through exhibits that may be permanent or temporary. Most large museums are located in major cities...
and art gallery
Art gallery
An art gallery or art museum is a building or space for the exhibition of art, usually visual art.Museums can be public or private, but what distinguishes a museum is the ownership of a collection...
located in the town centre of Dudley
Dudley
Dudley is a large town in the West Midlands county of England. At the 2001 census , the Dudley Urban Sub Area had a population of 194,919, making it the 26th largest settlement in England, the second largest town in the United Kingdom behind Reading, and the largest settlement in the UK without...
in the West Midlands
West Midlands (county)
The West Midlands is a metropolitan county in western central England with a 2009 estimated population of 2,638,700. It came into existence as a metropolitan county in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972, formed from parts of Staffordshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire. The...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. It was opened in 1883, situated within buildings on St James's Road, and has remained at this site ever since.
Geology
The geologyGeology
Geology is the science comprising the study of solid Earth, the rocks of which it is composed, and the processes by which it evolves. Geology gives insight into the history of the Earth, as it provides the primary evidence for plate tectonics, the evolutionary history of life, and past climates...
exhibits are the 'most important collection' at the museum and are drawn from a collection of approximately 15,000 fossil
Fossil
Fossils are the preserved remains or traces of animals , plants, and other organisms from the remote past...
s from the local area including nearby Wren's Nest
Wren's Nest
The Wren's Nest is a National Nature Reserve located to the north west of the town centre of Dudley, West Midlands, England. Today, apart from the geological interest, the site is home to a number of species of birds and locally rare flora; the caverns also support large roosting populations of bats...
hill and Wren's Nest. The two geology exhibits are 'Dudley Unearthed' and 'Fantastic Fossils'.
The 'Dudley Unearthed' area contains a set of interpretative displays that relate the geology of the area to the history of the industrial revolution, with regularly changing features on the geology of both the local area and the rest of the world, including information on Dudley Volcano. Fossils formed by the eruption of the volcano around 315 million years ago are also on display.
'Fantastic Fossils' showcases Silurian
Silurian
The Silurian is a geologic period and system that extends from the end of the Ordovician Period, about 443.7 ± 1.5 Mya , to the beginning of the Devonian Period, about 416.0 ± 2.8 Mya . As with other geologic periods, the rock beds that define the period's start and end are well identified, but the...
and Carboniferous
Carboniferous
The Carboniferous is a geologic period and system that extends from the end of the Devonian Period, about 359.2 ± 2.5 Mya , to the beginning of the Permian Period, about 299.0 ± 0.8 Mya . The name is derived from the Latin word for coal, carbo. Carboniferous means "coal-bearing"...
fossils, with examples of fossilised corals and shellfish, Crinoids, Gastropods, Trilobites, Cephalopods, worm tubes and fossilised speciments from the forest canopy and ground covering and primitive plants.
Return of the Dinosaurs
'Return of the Dinosaurs' opened in 2007 and is distinguished by several large models of various species of dinosaurs, including BaryonyxBaryonyx
Baryonyx is a genus of carnivorous saurischian dinosaur first discovered in clay pits just south of Dorking, England, and later reported from fossils found in northern Spain and Portugal. It is known to contain only one species, Baryonyx walkeri...
and one of the earliest dinosaurs, Thecodontosaurus
Thecodontosaurus
Thecodontosaurus is a genus of herbivorous basal sauropodomorph dinosaur which lived during the late Triassic period ....
.
The Brooke Robinson Museum
In 1911, local MP Brooke Robinson bequeathed his collection of paintings, furniture, ceramics, enamels and medals to Dudley. The objects are now on displayed in a dedicated room in the museum which contains a miscellaneous collection of 17th, 18th and 19th century British and European paintings, furniture and ceramics, together with oriental ceramics, Japanese netsukeNetsuke
Netsuke are miniature sculptures that were invented in 17th-century Japan to serve a practical function...
and inro
Inro
An is a traditional Japanese case for holding small objects. Because traditional Japanese garb lacked pockets, objects were often carried by hanging them from the obi, or sash. Most types of these sagemono were created for specialized contents, such as tobacco, pipes, writing brush and ink, but...
, Bilston enamels, commemorative medals, Greek, Roman and Egyptian pottery and personal memorabilia relating to Brooke Robinson and his two wives.
Duncan Edwards and local heroes
The room features a great deal of memorabilia connected to local football legend and Busby BabeBusby Babes
The Busby Babes were a group of Manchester United players, recruited and trained by the club's chief scout Joe Armstrong and assistant manager Jimmy Murphy, who progressed from the club's youth team into the first team under the management of the eponymous Matt Busby.The Busby Babes were notable...
Duncan Edwards
Duncan Edwards
Duncan Edwards was an English footballer who played for Manchester United and the England national team. He was one of the Busby Babes, the young United team formed under manager Matt Busby in the mid 1950s, and one of eight players who died as a result of the Munich air disaster.Born in Dudley,...
, who was born in the town in 1936, and won two Football League title medals with Manchester United
Manchester United F.C.
Manchester United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, that plays in the Premier League. Founded as Newton Heath LYR Football Club in 1878, the club changed its name to Manchester United in 1902 and moved to Old Trafford in 1910.The 1958...
and was capped 18 times by the England national football team
England national football team
The England national football team represents England in association football and is controlled by the Football Association, the governing body for football in England. England is the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside Scotland, whom they played in the world's first...
until he died from injuries sustained in the Munich air disaster
Munich air disaster
The Munich air disaster occurred on 6 February 1958, when British European Airways Flight 609 crashed on its third attempt to take off from a slush-covered runway at Munich-Riem Airport in Munich, West Germany. On board the plane was the Manchester United football team, nicknamed the "Busby Babes",...
in February 1958, when still only 21. There are plans to introduce other local sporting heroes in the future.
Fine art collection
The museum also holds a large collection of fine artFine art
Fine art or the fine arts encompass art forms developed primarily for aesthetics and/or concept rather than practical application. Art is often a synonym for fine art, as employed in the term "art gallery"....
, including oil paintings, watercolours, engravings and prints, which are rotated in and out of display. Among these are works by local artist Percy Shakespeare
Percy Shakespeare
Percy Shakespeare was an English painter, born in the slums of Dudley, West Midlands, England, he rose from his humble beginnings to be a celebrated artist.-Life and work:...
.