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Wonder at Jurassic Coast discoveries that put Dorset on the map for fossil hunters – and archaeological objects that show how early people shaped the land. Touch ancient objects, get a close-up view of microfossils and crawl through a pliosaur head if you’re small enough. Marvel at objects from some of Britain’s most important archaeological sites, from spectacular Bronze Age gold and finds from Maiden Castle – one of Britain’s largest Iron Age hillforts – to treasures from Roman Dorchester. Let your fingers walk Dorset’s ancient landscape on a large touchscreen.

A recreation of Hardy’s study includes his desk and personal belongings from his home at Max Gate on Dorchester’s outskirts. The Hardy’s Life room has childhood toys, family portraits, musical instruments – and music from the Hardy family’s music books. Hardy’s Writing features original manuscripts and touchscreens for browsing digital manuscripts and personal letters.

An important part of the gallery is dedicated to the sculptor Elisabeth Frink who lived and worked in Dorset for many years. Portraits by Thomas Gainsborough and George Romney are here too, alongside works by Cornish artist Alfred Wallis and Dorset-born sculptor Alfred Stevens. Get to know Chaldon Herring’s 1920s and 1930s creative community, including novelist Sylvia Townsend Warner and her partner, poet Valentine Ackland.