Leicester Museum & Art Gallery is inviting families to join its 175th anniversary celebrations this weekend.
Inspired by the enormous cetiosaurus skeleton that has pride of place at the museum, the programme for Sunday’s events (June 16) has a dinosaur theme.
Families can look out for the Baby Dinos, who will be roaming around the museum from 11.30am, and enjoy an appearance by the Animatronic Dino at 1pm.
Youngsters will also be able to make a Dino keyring, request a dinosaur-themed makeover from the museum’s face painters, and enjoy all the exhibits in the Dinosaur Gallery – including the giant cetiosaurus that was discovered in Rutland in 1968.
Mike Dalzell, Leicester City Council’s director of tourism, culture and inward investment, said: “Museums have changed a lot over the past 175 years, but one thing that hasn’t changed is that our museums are still free for people to enjoy.
“Pop in on Sunday to meet the dinosaurs – and don’t miss our new summer exhibition, Snakes.
“And if you prefer Renoir to reptiles, don’t forget that Leicester Museum is currently displaying one of the world’s most iconic Impressionist paintings. It’s a huge honour to have Renoir’s ‘The Umbrellas’ here in our 175th anniversary year – and a great opportunity to see such a well-known painting, right here in Leicester.”
Leicester Museum & Art Gallery’s 175th Birthday Party runs from 11am to 3pm on Sunday 16 June and admission is free of charge.
The museum opened to the public on 19 June 1849 – making it one of the first municipal museums in the country.
The building, which started life as a school, was bought by the Leicester Corporation in 1848 and converted into a public museum with the support of the town’s Literary and Philosophical Society.
When it opened in 1849, Thomas Cook, the travel pioneer, hoped it would become “an instructive lounge for the lovers of science.”
Leicester Museum & Art Gallery now welcomes around 250,000 visitors each year and maintains a collection of more than 1.5million objects and artefacts.
More information about Leicester’s museums is available at leicestermuseums.org
