New exhibition reveals Swindon’s Jurassic past
A new exhibition at Museum & Art Swindon is looking at the history of fossil hunting
The petrified bones and shells of long-dead dinosaurs and sea creatures found in Swindon made a huge difference to our understanding of the earth and its past.
And a new exhibition at Museum & Art Swindon looking at the history of fossil hunting in the town will show some of the amazing finds made here, including part of the first Stegosaur ever found.
One of Swindon Borough Council’s collections and exhibitions officer Elaine Arthurs worked with a team of nine volunteers for two years on the exhibition, which is funded by Arts Council England.
She said: “The volunteers spend hours going through our collection of fossils and finds, and doing a lot of research.
“Some of the material was looked at for the first time, probably, since it was first donated and put into storage, so this is a double unlocking.”
Swindon’s fossil record is particularly good because it was underwater 150-odd million years ago, and the clay under the water was an excellent medium for preserving bones, and shells.
And the quarrying which took place all over what is now the borough, starting more than 300 years ago, also meant finds were plentiful, bringing early fossil hunters and antiquarians flocking to the town.
Included in the exhibition is a bone from the spine of that first stegosaur (the rest of it is in the Natural History Museum in London) and the spine from a terrifying aquatic dinosaur, the Plisosaur found in 1968 at Cambria Bridge in the centre of town.
Volunteer Ann Hunter said: “It was fascinating reading about William Smith writing about his find of what he called “monstrous bones” which were probably those of the Stegosaur at the Natural History Museum.
But the finds keep coming, the latest finds in the exhibition were only uncovered in 2023 when the Moredon sports hub was being built.
One of the more significant fossil hunters in Swindon’s past was William Morris – the founder of the Swindon Advertiser, whose collection of fossils, ammonites and the bones of a sea creature’s spine were donated to the museum to start the council’s collection of fossil finds decades ago.
Another well-known name among our fossil hunters is William Jocelyn Arkell of the famous brewing family.
His family home near Highworth was close to several quarries, inculcating in him a love of the science which he took on to become a double doctor of science and a lecturer at Cambridge University.
Unlocking Fossil Hunters Unlicking Swindon’s Jurassic Past opens on Saturday October 4 and runs until mid-April 2026.
Entrance is free.