MUSEUM visitors got the chance to get up close to fossils during a special tour.
The fossil specimens at the Oxford University Museum of Natural History, found by two 19th century fossil collectors Mary Anning and Elizabeth Philpot, are not usually on display to the public.
Those on the tour could also see archives containing letters from Elizabeth Philpot to William Buckland, the first Reader in Geology at Oxford.
Abingdon visitor Sue Morley said: “Most people who were on the tour had read the book Remarkable Creatures by Tracy Chevalier, which is a book about Mary Anning and so we wanted to see the things that she collected.
“It brought the book to life.”
“The tours have been very interesting and on a good range of topics.”
The museum in Parks Road is closed to visitors while the leaking roof is repaired and behind-the-scenes tours are running every Tuesday from 3-5pm.
For more information visit oum.ox.ac.uk
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here