Dorman Museum

Over het museum

The Dorman Museum grew out of the collections of the Middlesbrough Athenaeum, founded in 1863, and the Cleveland Naturalists' Field Club. In 1884 these societies handed their collections to the town council, and the museum first opened to the public on 16 March 1890 in the new Town Hall, where about 400 people visited on the first day. Demand soon outgrew the space, and in 1901 the offer of a large collection of African and Indian animals and birds by Sir Alfred Pease showed that a purpose-built museum was needed.

Sir Arthur Dorman offered to pay for the building as a memorial to his son George Lockwood Dorman and other comrades who died in the Boer War. Designed by J Mitchell Bottomley, Son and Welford in red brick and terracotta with a copper-domed tower, it was the first purpose-built museum in the region and was opened on 1 July 1904. The Nelson bequest of mounted birds and eggs followed in 1918.

The museum was extended in the 1960s, when fixed natural history displays gave way to a local history gallery, and in 1994 its tall galleries were divided to create a new floor. From 2000 Heritage Lottery Fund support paid for a further extension with more galleries, environmentally controlled storage and learning facilities. Today the museum is run by Middlesbrough Council and covers local history, natural history and design, with a gallery on Linthorpe Art Pottery, which was made locally from 1879, and a gallery on the Victorian designer Christopher Dresser, whose works were acquired in 2013.

Hoogtepunten

• Christopher Dresser gallery with over 200 works and a research archive
• Linthorpe Art Pottery gallery with the largest public collection of the local Victorian pottery
• Town in Time galleries with a reconstructed Victorian shopping street
• Earth in Space gallery with a dinosaur model, a large ichthyosaur skull and the story of the 1881 Middlesbrough meteorite
• Edwardian Nelson Gallery of mounted birds and eggs
• Free entry and a Victorian-style tea room

Vaste collectie

• Christopher Dresser – A gallery of over 200 works by the Victorian designer, including furniture, metalwork, ceramics, glass, textiles and wallpaper, with a research archive.
• Linthorpe Art Pottery – The story of the Victorian pottery founded in Middlesbrough in 1879 by John Harrison and Christopher Dresser, with the largest public collection of its colourful glazed wares.
• Earth in Space – An interactive gallery on how the Earth formed, with a full-size dinosaur model, a walk-through mineral mine, an ichthyosaur skull and the 1881 Middlesbrough meteorite.

Opgericht

1904

Beheerder

Middlesbrough Council

Toegangsprijzen & kortingen

De toegang is gratis.

Museum entry is free. Charges may apply to temporary exhibitions, the VR experience and some family activities.

Toegankelijkheid

• Rolstoeltoegankelijk
• Lift
• Aangepast toilet
• Gehandicaptenparkeerplaats
• Hulphonden welkom
• Tastmodellen / voelbare objecten: geen informatie
• Rondleidingen in gebarentaal: geen informatie
• Informatie in eenvoudige taal: geen informatie
• Audiodescriptie: geen informatie

The most accessible entrance is on Linthorpe Road, reached by a long gentle ramp, with automatic doors on the left. Two Blue Badge bays are at the front, where small vehicles and minibuses can also drop off; the route from Park Road South has steps with handrails and tactile paving. One lift holds up to three wheelchairs, each floor has level access and a gentle ramp links the Linthorpe and Dresser galleries. A wheelchair and a walker can be borrowed free from the welcome desk. Accessible toilets have transfer on either side and alarms linked to the welcome desk; the nearest Changing Places toilet is at Albert Park Visitor Centre next to the museum. Hearing loops are at the welcome desk, the shop and the learning room. Some ground-floor galleries have parquet floors with floor grills. Seating is provided, floor maps are in the foyer and by the lift, and the lift has Braille indicators. Assistance dogs are welcome and water is provided. Relaxed sessions are held for some temporary exhibitions. The VR ride has steps, but visitors who cannot use them can sit to one side and wear a headset.

Kinderen & gezin

Erg geschikt voor kinderen & gezinnen

• Gezinsrondleidingen & workshops
• Doe- en voelstations
• Verschoonruimte

Family activities run during the year and may carry a charge. The Earth in Space gallery is interactive and the museum has a VR ride. Dresser's Tea Room has a children's menu. Baby changing is in the accessible toilets, and breastfeeding and bottle feeding are welcome, with the tea room and the Dresser gallery suggested as comfortable places.

Bereikbaarheid & parkeren

The museum is signposted from the town centre, next to Albert Park and the Cenotaph, and the walk is mostly level. Coaches can drop off on Linthorpe Road beside the museum.

Service & horeca

• Café
• Restaurant: niet aanwezig
• Museumwinkel

Dresser's Tea Room, a Victorian-style cafe with a children's menu, is to the right of the entrance foyer with level access. The gift shop sells Dresser merchandise and is open during museum hours.

Evenementen & zaalverhuur

• Ruimtes te huur
• Privéfeesten
• Zakelijke evenementen

A meeting room and a learning space can be hired for corporate events, community events and social gatherings such as workshops and birthday parties.

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