Museum

Fossil Museum

The little museum started way back during Covid. As we had to close our inside seating area in the cafe, for nearly two years, we converted the space to display our ever increasing fossil collection.

With our own finds sitting alongside some loaned pieces, we are very happy that it has been visited many times over the last few years not just by the public, but schools, colleges and universities and continues to grow not just in size but popularity!

With very special thanks to Julie Curl and Dick Mol, whose immense knowledge has identified and verified a Giant Deer Talus, complete with butcher marks, making this the first find that puts man at West Runton Beach up to 800,000 years ago! Included in the same find was a Gazelle Horncore, this came from Gazelle Shreuderae, an extremely rare find as they normally get uncovered in the Netherlands! both are now on display at the cafe.

Our Fossil Museum
Deer Talus with butchery marks, making this the first find that puts man on West Runton Beach up to 800,000 years ago
A complete lower jaw of a juvenile Woolly Mammoth complete with M2 Molars
We have a huge collection of Mammoth teeth, Woolly, Steppe and Southern.
Not forgetting the Echinoids, (sea urchins) a lovely common find at West Runton
A selection of hand axes and arrow heads found here. Alongside a rare Wymers Cleaver, found just along the coast and verified by the Museums Service.
Our collection of Woolly Rhinoceros bones and teeth.
Our giant deer and horse bone collection. The difference in the size of the jawbone of the giant deer and the red deer from today is quite amazing.
The Legend that is Nigel Larkin, conservator of the West Runton mammoth bones, and proudly holding a cast of the original tibia from the West Runton Mammoth.
Our collection of Mammoth tusk pieces, some very large , some small fragments.
Kelsey Pegg with a hands on experience holding the juvenile Mammoth jaw.
Part of a Wild Boar mandible with tooth sockets evident
A pike vertebrae approx 750,000 years old
Sometimes even a famous person comes to browse, a fantastic gentleman, Steve Backshall
The original West Runton Elephant poster signed by all the people involved with the
excavation.
A cast of the original West Runton Elephant tibia! The only one outside of the Museums service is on show here, alongside a scale model of man and Steppe Mammoth showing the true
height of this enormous animal.

The William Rose Collection

We are very pleased to announce the display of a superb collection of rare finds here at West Runton, made by William Rose. These finds Include, a Giant Deer Talus with butchery marks making this the first find that actually puts man on West Runton Beach approximately 800,000 years ago, also a horn core from a gazelle, Gazella Shreuderae, both are on display at the cafe with many many more great finds.

Various photos taken at the time of excavation, more details and information can be found in our Geology / Mammoth page.