Our Mission

Vision

A museum that collects, reveals and inspires connections with the universal themes of Dorset’s story

Mission

To become the prime destination to discover and enjoy the richness of Dorset’s natural, historical and cultural heritage, and appreciate the impact of the county and its people on our understanding of the wider world

Strategic Aims

  • To reach larger and broader audiences and encourage deeper engagement with our collections.
  • To own Dorset’s stories and tell them in bigger and bolder ways.
  • To properly care for all our collections and enable us to collect for the future, and for visitors to understand the work we do with our collections
  • To be a financially and operationally sustainable museum

Important Announcement

Friday 22 September 2023, The Victorian Hall will also be closed all day for a private function. The Fine Foundation Dorset Story Space, next the the Thomas Hardy's Dorset Gallery will also be closed for an hour around Midday.

Membership

Become A Member Today!

Become a member of the Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society today and get a deeper insight into 250 million years of Dorset’s history, while you help protect its rich heritage for future generations.

More about membership

Talks

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Community Exhibition

21 July - 29 October 2023

Nature Heals | Photography by Trevor Parsons

Dorset Museum and Dorchester Arts co-present Nature Heals, an exhibition of nature photography by Trevor Parsons.

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Special Exhibition

21 July - 29 October 2023

Wildlife Photographer of the Year

Wildlife Photographer of the Year, the world-famous exhibition from the Natural History Museum, is coming to Dorset Museum this summer.

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Special Display

4 August – 28 September 2023

The Askerswell Hoard

Discover a rare Roman coin hoard recently acquired by Dorset Museum, and find out about the work going on to preserve, research and catalogue it, in this special showcase display outside the Collections Discovery Centre.

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CANCELLED

6 October 2023, 10:00am -1:00pm, 

Creative Journeys Through Time | 6 week art workshop with Helen Garrett

Designed for adults interested in art, prehistory and archaeology, and running as a six-week block, this course is an exciting opportunity to get up close with some extraordinary artefacts in the collection at Dorset Museum.

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Adult Workshop

9 October 2023, 2:00pm to 4:30pm

Life Drawing at Dorset Museum – Eight-week course led by James Meiklejohn

This eight-week structured course is suitable for complete beginners to those with some experience.

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Talk

10 October 2023, 2:00pm - 3:00pm

Wildlife friendly gardening | Mitch Perkins

Would you like to make your garden more wildlife friendly?  Join Mitch Perkins to find out how.

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Museum after hours

19 October 2023, 5:00pm - 6:30pm

FREE | Museum After Hours

Join us for an opportunity to explore the Museum at this FREE late opening.

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Lecture

19 October 2023, 7:00pm - 8:30pm

Real Dorset | Jon Woolcott

In this lecture, let Jon Woolcott take you on an amusing whistle-stop tour through some of the discoveries and oddities that make Dorset unique.

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Tours

25 October 2023, 2:00pm - 2:45pm

Collections Discovery Centre Tour

Join our Collections Team for an opportunity to explore behind the scenes in the Museum’s Collections Discovery Centre.

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