Rutland County Museum Set to Become Home of Britain's Largest Ichthyosaur

Rutland Museum Set to Become Home of Britain's Largest Ichthyosaur

Rutland County Council is considering ambitious plans to transform its County Museum into a state-of-the-art cultural hub, with the centrepiece being the Rutland Ichthyosaur, Britain's largest and most complete fossil of its kind.  The council's cabinet will discuss the proposals on February 11th.

The plans involve reimagining the museum and Catmose Cottage site as a combined cultural and civic centre.  Acquiring the "Sea Dragon" skeleton from Anglian Water is a key part of the proposal, allowing it to become a permanent fixture in the council's accredited museum collection.

Beyond the ichthyosaur, the revamped museum will offer a new digital visitor experience, bringing the County’s Roman Mosaic to life.  This enhanced experience aims to attract more visitors to the area, boosting the local economy and securing the future of Rutland’s heritage.

Councillor Gale Waller, Leader of Rutland County Council, stated, "These ambitious proposals are intended to see the magnificent Rutland Ichthyosaur brought to life alongside other valuable local treasures inside a much-improved museum building. This has huge potential in terms of attracting more visitors to our area, supporting local businesses and ensuring the long-term sustainability of Rutland’s priceless heritage assets."

The council believes that developing an enhanced cultural and civic centre at the museum is the most sustainable and economically beneficial way to preserve and celebrate Rutland’s history.  If the cabinet approves the plans, detailed design work will commence, involving close collaboration with key stakeholders.

Discover Rutland, the local tourism committee, has expressed enthusiastic support for the project.  Chair Jason Allen commented, "This development represents a unique opportunity to enhance the visitor experience for both our cultural and historical offering in Rutland as well as being a community facility. It is proposed that this will also be home to the recently discovered ichthyosaur in digitalization form which will undoubtedly receive both national and international interest."

Discover Rutland emphasises the importance of tourism to the county's economy, generating over £170 million annually and attracting approximately 1.5 million visitors.  The museum's refurbishment is expected to be a transformative project, creating a lasting impact and encouraging longer stays in Rutland.

The cultural elements of the project are slated to be funded through the £22.95 million UK Government Funding (formerly Levelling Up Funding) allocated to the Rural Innovation in Action program. This funding will cover the digitalization of the ichthyosaur and Roman Mosaic, as well as the development of the new visitor experience.  The council plans to seek additional external grants, including National Lottery Heritage Funding, for further enhancements.