© Tony Bartholomew

It's party time in Scarborough this Saturday (May 10) as the new-look Rotunda Museum opens its doors and hosts activities in the grounds in celebration of the unveiling.

The Rotunda has undergone an extensive £4.4m redevelopment, including not only a fantastic overhaul of the existing galleries but also a brand new 'Geology Now' gallery, sponsored by Shell. The new gallery uses the latest multimedia techniques to present geological and environmental research.

Star guest Susie Blake (Bev Unwin in Coronation Street) will be helping to reopen the geological museum on Saturday, which will be free to enter on the special opening day – but only if you got a ticket in time.

© Tony Bartholomew

"The take-up of the Saturday free entry offer was so great that we will only be open to those people who applied for free tickets," explained Shirley Collier, Chief Executive of Scarborough Museums Trust. "However, everyone is welcome to come down and join the free community party taking place in the grounds."

And the museum will also be open on Sunday from 10am to 5pm, with top-notch entertainment from the Scarborough Symphony Orchestra and Yorkshire Coast Morris Dancers.

Activities on offer all weekend include art workshops for children, magic shows and face painting. There will also be performances from Scarborough Hip Hop School and the Hatton School of Performing Arts, plus plenty of live music.

© Tony Bartholomew

The celebrations are well deserved – the Grade II*-listed Rotunda, which opened in 1829, has been looking forward to the completion of its transformation for two years.

Britain's oldest geology museum, it recognises the work of William Smith, the 'father of English geology'. Smith single-handedly mapped the geology of Britain for the first time, and invented 'fossil-ordered stratigraphy' – correlating rocks across the country on the basis of the fossils they contain.

This concept became the basis for all mineral and oil exploration today, which is why Shell is now the museum's major corporate sponsor.

"The Rotunda Museum makes geology accessible to everyone, especially the budding geologists of tomorrow," said James Smith, Chairman of Shell UK Ltd. "And geology matters a lot to the energy industry which is why Shell is so pleased to have helped with the Rotunda's redevelopment."

© Tony Bartholomew

The Rotunda was a purpose-built museum, with its circular plan suggested by William Smith himself, then a resident in Scarborough. A painting round the gallery showed a cross-section of the geological formation of the east coast from the Humber to the Tees.

Fossil specimens from William Smith's own collection, on loan from the Natural History Museum in London, will now be displayed in Scarborough for the first time.

"The Rotunda may be a small building," said Shirley Collier, "but it is a big part of Britain's scientific heritage."

"We've got innovative displays and activities which will appeal to all ages, especially children who are mad on dinosaurs."

© Tony Bartholomew

An official reopening ceremony on Friday evening, prior to the public event, will be headed by renowned geologist Lord Oxburgh, a past president of the Geological Society.

"The Rotunda has long stood as a landmark monument to the father of English geology," commented Fiona Spiers, Head of the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) in Yorkshire and the Humber. The HLF put £1.9m towards the redevelopment.

"Its transformation will inspire new generations to delve into the history and highlights the growing importance of appreciating the planet's origins as modern environmental pressures increase."

Other funding was received from the European Regional Development Fund and Scarborough Borough Council, as well as local individuals and companies.