The history, state and reinterpretation of the palaeontological collection at Folkestone Museum

Abstract

The Folkestone Museum was moved to a new home in the Folkestone Town Hall in 2017 as part of a UK Heritage Lottery Fund project. The collection includes around 1,000 geological specimens, many of which were acquired in the 19th Century. During the project, examination of the palaeontological collection in particular revealed new insights into its history. Information gathered from diverse sources, including online collections, blogs and published literature, have helped to reveal some of these previously unknown aspects. For example, the museum holds fossil material from important names in the history of palaeontology including Etheldred Benett and Gideon and Mary Mantell. They also provide tangible evidence of a rich culture of exchanging fossil material going back to the early 1800s. The work also shows the potential for using old labels, associated documents and online resources to improve understanding of the history of geological collections. This also demonstrates the importance of caring for old labels and associated documentation and the importance of specialist knowledge. The curatorial state and use of the collection are not to the highest potential and recommendations to address this are given. This paper also describes aspects of the new interpretation at the museum, including using 3D-printing to create handling exhibits.