Closed
The Hancock Museum closed its doors to the public on Sunday 23 April 2006 to begin its transformation as part of the Great North Museum - an exciting and innovative world-class visitor attraction designed for the 21st century. The new Museum opens in 2009.
Description
The Hancock Museum closed its doors to the public on Sunday 23 April 2006 to begin its transformation as part of the Great North Museum - an exciting and innovative world-class visitor attraction designed for the 21st century.
Highlights of the new £26million museum will include:
* a large-scale, interactive model of Hadrian's Wall
* major new displays showing the wonder and diversity of the animal and plant kingdoms
* spectacular objects from the Ancient Greeks and mummies from Ancient Egypt
* a Planetarium
* a life-size T-Rex dinosaur skeleton and much more...
When the new Museum opens in 2009 it will be a flagship visitor attraction incorporating collections from the Hancock Museum and the University of Newcastle's Museum of Antiquities, the Shefton Museum and the Hatton Gallery.
Collections description
The Hancock collections represent an amalgamation of many hundreds of individual collections amassed by leading naturalists who worked not only in the North East but throughout the world, pioneering the development of natural history as a science in the 19th and 20th centuries. The collections continue to be actively used by researchers from all over the world. There is research material of international significance within all parts of the collection and this provides an irreplaceable tool by which biological and geological principles such as taxonomy, variation, speciation, geographical distribution, evolution and typology can be studied.
In addition, the Hancock Museum library houses, amongst its extensive archives, one of the largest collections in the world of the watercolours and engravings of the world-renowned, Newcastle born 18th century artist and engraver Thomas Bewick. His works, particularly the engravings featured in History of British Birds and A General History of Quadrupeds, have attracted international interest. He is regarded as the "father of wood engraving" and the success of his technique led to it becoming the most popular form of book illustration for most of the 19th century. A selection of Bewick's work is on display in the Museum in The Bewick Shrine.
The collections reflect the Museum's historic specialisation in the Natural Sciences. The collections number well over half-a-million items, and these include over 1,000 type specimens. A type specimen is the original specimen from which a new species was named. In international terms, the most important collections are the freshwater and marine crustaceans collected by Professor George Brady, and the Carboniferous vertebrate fossils collected by Thomas Atthey and Albany Hancock, some of which can be seen in the Earthworks gallery. Both collections are consulted extensively by researchers from all over the world.
In addition to these collections, the Museum owns an important collection of early vertebrate material as well as historical ethnographic material, some of which is traceable back to the voyages of Captain James Cook. Some of the ethnography collections can be seen in the World of Difference display.
When looking around the Museum you will see a wide range of collections and some truly wonderful objects including the huge fossil tree from Weardale, the giant Spider Crab, the Sea Dragon or Ichthyosaur from Whitby, the skeleton of a Moa, the animals in Abel's Ark and the vast collection of birds including extinct species such as the Great Auk, Passenger Pigeon and Dodo... and not forgetting Sparky Williams, the internationally famous talking budgerigar. Sparky died over 40 years ago but he is preserved in the Museum and visitors can hear some of his recordings.
The Hancock also possesses small collections of archaeological material, most importantly, Egyptology. Although not numerous, these collections do contain some important material, including two New Kingdom mummies which can be seen in the Land of the Pharaohs gallery. One of these, Bakt-hor-nekht, remains wrapped, and has been the subject of extensive research, including pioneering CAT- scanning work in 1991.
Key artists and exhibits
Thomas Bewick
;
Professor George Brady
;
Thomas Atthey
;
Albany Hancock
General Information
Brochure or leaflet available with directions to museum
Pre-booking service for groups
Guided tours
Collections
General guide to collections available
Specialist publications on collections available
Object identification and/or written enquiry service
Object study facilities available (enquire in advance)
Public access available to collections information
Disability Access
Events/teaching/resources for people with disabilities
General audio-guide available
Large print information and/or interpretation
Parking for disabled available
Toilets for disabled
Touch exhibits and/or handling sessions
Wheelchair access to some public areas
Wheelchairs available for loan
Children and Families
Activities for pre-school children
Baby changing facilities
Events and resources for children and families
Gardens open to public
Picnic area
General Education
Academic publications and resources available
Adult lectures and courses held
Education facilities available
General audio-guide available
Loan service
Member of staff available with responsibility for education
Reception and lunch facilities for educational groups
Teaching/resources available for HE/FE students
Schools Education
Direct teaching services for schools
Primary school education service available
Printed/audio-visual information available for schools
Secondary school education service available
Facilities
Cafeteria
Facilities for private functions and events
Gardens open to public
General audio-guide available
Library
Library with public access
Meeting room available
Object study facilities available (enquire in advance)
Picnic area
Refreshments
Research facilities for academics
Restaurant
Shop
Study facilities
