Opening Times
Months Open
Open all year round
For exceptional days out in Scarborough enjoy unlimited entry to the Museum and Art Gallery throughout the year with a £5 annual season ticket
The Rotunda Museum is full of fascinating objects, from fossils found on East Yorkshire’s Dinosaur Coast to a whole host of objects in the impressive upper gallery, that tell the history of the museum.
Don’t miss the mysterious bone, flint and antler objects from Star Carr, one of the most important Middle Stone Age sites of its kind in Great Britain. How might the head dress made from a red deer skull have been used?
The Rotunda is an exhibit in itself – this unique circular building, opened in 1829, is one of the world’s first purpose-built museums, built to a design suggested by William ‘Strata’ Smith.
The interior, with its stunning trompe l’oeil ceiling and fascinating Georgian gallery, features a frieze showing the geology of the local coastline designed by Smith’s nephew, John Phillips. The displays explore the stories of the 19th century Scarborough Philosophical Society who brought the collections together.
The Rotunda Museum has a lift to all floors, is fully wheelchair accessible throughout and has an accessible WC.
Support dogs are welcome. Induction loops are also available.
The Rotunda is breast feeding friendly.