Warwickshire &amp; West Midlands

<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-dippy-in-coventry-the-nation-s-favourite-dinosaur-until-2026">Dippy in Coventry: The Nation’s Favourite Dinosaur, until 2026</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="666" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/warks/wp-content/uploads/sites/18/2023/02/Optimized-Optimized-200223HerbertDippy_2.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-52827" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/warks/wp-content/uploads/sites/18/2023/02/Optimized-Optimized-200223HerbertDippy_2.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/warks/wp-content/uploads/sites/18/2023/02/Optimized-Optimized-200223HerbertDippy_2-800x533.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/warks/wp-content/uploads/sites/18/2023/02/Optimized-Optimized-200223HerbertDippy_2-768x511.jpg 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/warks/wp-content/uploads/sites/18/2023/02/Optimized-Optimized-200223HerbertDippy_2-788x525.jpg 788w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /><figcaption>Well, hello Dippy! Photo credits FiveSix Photography</figcaption></figure>



Ever been up, close and personal with one of the longest, life-size pre-historic dinosaurs in the world? Well, now&#8217;s your chance to see Dippy the diplodocus on home turf. 



Hot on the heels of an eight-venue tour across the UK, where Dippy spent time in Belfast, Birmingham, Cardiff, Dorchester, Glasgow, Newcastle upon Tyne, Norwich and Rochdale, this iconic 292-bone replica of a Diplodocus carnegii&nbsp;skeleton was unveiled at The Herbert Art Gallery and Museum, Coventry during February half term.



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="666" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/warks/wp-content/uploads/sites/18/2023/02/Optimized-Group-photo-1.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-52842" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/warks/wp-content/uploads/sites/18/2023/02/Optimized-Group-photo-1.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/warks/wp-content/uploads/sites/18/2023/02/Optimized-Group-photo-1-800x533.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/warks/wp-content/uploads/sites/18/2023/02/Optimized-Group-photo-1-768x511.jpg 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/warks/wp-content/uploads/sites/18/2023/02/Optimized-Group-photo-1-788x525.jpg 788w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /></figure>



The exhibition was officially opened by Lorraine Cornish, Head of Conservation at the Natural History Museum, Pauline Black, lead singer of Coventry&#8217;s iconic Two Tone band The Selecter and Marguerite Nugent, the Herbert&#8217;s new director (pictured above left to right). Ten-year-old Coventry schoolgirl and dino fan Daisy-Marie Taylor put Dippy&#8217;s final toe in place (pictured below). Dippy&#8217;s arrival in the city even made headlines on BBC Newsround!



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="666" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/warks/wp-content/uploads/sites/18/2023/02/Optimized-Inserting-the-final-toe-bone-1.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-52853" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/warks/wp-content/uploads/sites/18/2023/02/Optimized-Inserting-the-final-toe-bone-1.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/warks/wp-content/uploads/sites/18/2023/02/Optimized-Inserting-the-final-toe-bone-1-800x533.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/warks/wp-content/uploads/sites/18/2023/02/Optimized-Inserting-the-final-toe-bone-1-768x511.jpg 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/warks/wp-content/uploads/sites/18/2023/02/Optimized-Inserting-the-final-toe-bone-1-788x525.jpg 788w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /></figure>



Dippy will take up residence here for three years on loan from the National History Museum. A team of four technicians and two conservators spent five days installing this Jurassic giant at the Herbert, unpacking 28 crates of bones &#8211; puts your house move to shame! 



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="666" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/warks/wp-content/uploads/sites/18/2023/02/fotor_2023-2-23_16_19_14.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-52844" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/warks/wp-content/uploads/sites/18/2023/02/fotor_2023-2-23_16_19_14.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/warks/wp-content/uploads/sites/18/2023/02/fotor_2023-2-23_16_19_14-800x533.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/warks/wp-content/uploads/sites/18/2023/02/fotor_2023-2-23_16_19_14-768x511.jpg 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/warks/wp-content/uploads/sites/18/2023/02/fotor_2023-2-23_16_19_14-788x525.jpg 788w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /></figure>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="666" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/warks/wp-content/uploads/sites/18/2023/02/fotor_2023-2-23_16_20_33.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-52843" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/warks/wp-content/uploads/sites/18/2023/02/fotor_2023-2-23_16_20_33.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/warks/wp-content/uploads/sites/18/2023/02/fotor_2023-2-23_16_20_33-800x533.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/warks/wp-content/uploads/sites/18/2023/02/fotor_2023-2-23_16_20_33-768x511.jpg 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/warks/wp-content/uploads/sites/18/2023/02/fotor_2023-2-23_16_20_33-788x525.jpg 788w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /></figure>



The UK tour attracted a record-breaking two million visitors and Dippy’s recent return to the Natural History Museum drew a further one million. Now the ‘Dippy effect’ already appears to be underway in Coventry. Free tickets to see this iconic dinosaur are being snapped up fast with half term fully booked last week. As such, the Herbert extended its opening hours to allow as many people as possible to see Dippy. Judging by the reaction of families and children at the unveiling it&#8217;s set to be an er&#8230; &#8216;roaring&#8217; success! 



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="666" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/warks/wp-content/uploads/sites/18/2023/02/Optimized-Members-of-the-public-1-1.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-52903" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/warks/wp-content/uploads/sites/18/2023/02/Optimized-Members-of-the-public-1-1.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/warks/wp-content/uploads/sites/18/2023/02/Optimized-Members-of-the-public-1-1-800x533.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/warks/wp-content/uploads/sites/18/2023/02/Optimized-Members-of-the-public-1-1-768x511.jpg 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/warks/wp-content/uploads/sites/18/2023/02/Optimized-Members-of-the-public-1-1-788x525.jpg 788w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /></figure>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="666" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/warks/wp-content/uploads/sites/18/2023/02/Optimized-200223HerbertDippy_24-1.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-52833" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/warks/wp-content/uploads/sites/18/2023/02/Optimized-200223HerbertDippy_24-1.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/warks/wp-content/uploads/sites/18/2023/02/Optimized-200223HerbertDippy_24-1-800x533.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/warks/wp-content/uploads/sites/18/2023/02/Optimized-200223HerbertDippy_24-1-768x511.jpg 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/warks/wp-content/uploads/sites/18/2023/02/Optimized-200223HerbertDippy_24-1-788x525.jpg 788w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /></figure>



There&#8217;s plenty to be wowed about! At 85 foot long (26 metres) and weighing around 15 tonnes, Dippy is bigger than a double-decker bus &#8211; and impressively takes up nearly all of the ground floor exhibition space.



Muddy spoke to Ali Wells, the Herbert&#8217;s Natural Sciences&nbsp;Curator at the official opening, who told us these huge, plant-eating dinosaurs, with their long whip-like tails had long peg-like teeth which reproduced every 35 days, worn down from eating so much vegetation. So they virtually had a new set of gnashers every month! 



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="666" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/warks/wp-content/uploads/sites/18/2023/02/Optimized-200223HerbertDippy_1.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-52837" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/warks/wp-content/uploads/sites/18/2023/02/Optimized-200223HerbertDippy_1.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/warks/wp-content/uploads/sites/18/2023/02/Optimized-200223HerbertDippy_1-800x533.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/warks/wp-content/uploads/sites/18/2023/02/Optimized-200223HerbertDippy_1-768x511.jpg 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/warks/wp-content/uploads/sites/18/2023/02/Optimized-200223HerbertDippy_1-788x525.jpg 788w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /><figcaption>&#8216;Say cheese!&#8217;</figcaption></figure>



And although Dippy is referred to as a ‘he’ it&#8217;s not know if they were male or female.



Here&#8217;s a bit for the kids: Diplodocus lived in the late Jurassic period – around 155-145 million years ago &#8211; and their skeletons have been found in North America. But dinosaur fossils of the T-Rex-like Cruxicheiros&nbsp;were discovered closer to home in 1960 on the Warwickshire/Oxfordshire border in the Cross Hand Quarry, near Moreton-in-Marsh, doncha know.



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="666" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/warks/wp-content/uploads/sites/18/2023/02/Optimized-200223HerbertDippy_35-2.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-52845" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/warks/wp-content/uploads/sites/18/2023/02/Optimized-200223HerbertDippy_35-2.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/warks/wp-content/uploads/sites/18/2023/02/Optimized-200223HerbertDippy_35-2-800x533.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/warks/wp-content/uploads/sites/18/2023/02/Optimized-200223HerbertDippy_35-2-768x511.jpg 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/warks/wp-content/uploads/sites/18/2023/02/Optimized-200223HerbertDippy_35-2-788x525.jpg 788w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /></figure>



An interactive Dippy-inspired fossil trail around the museum is brilliant for those visiting with younger kids. There&#8217;s also an accompanying <a href="https://www.theherbert.org/whats-on/">programme of dino themed events and activities</a> tailored to visitors of all ages, helping them learn more about the Jurassic period, fossils and the evolution of our world. 



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="666" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/warks/wp-content/uploads/sites/18/2023/02/Optimized-200223HerbertDippy_38.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-52834" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/warks/wp-content/uploads/sites/18/2023/02/Optimized-200223HerbertDippy_38.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/warks/wp-content/uploads/sites/18/2023/02/Optimized-200223HerbertDippy_38-800x533.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/warks/wp-content/uploads/sites/18/2023/02/Optimized-200223HerbertDippy_38-768x511.jpg 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/warks/wp-content/uploads/sites/18/2023/02/Optimized-200223HerbertDippy_38-788x525.jpg 788w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /></figure>



Free tickets for Dippy in Coventry can be booked <a href="https://dippyincoventry.co.uk">here</a>.



Done Dippy? Here&#8217;s what else is new at the Herbert:



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-warwickshire-s-jurassic-sea-until-feb-2024">Warwickshire&#8217;s Jurassic Sea, until Feb 2024</h2>



This exhibition &#8211; in collaboration with Warwickshire Museum &#8211; includes fossils of the incredible sea creatures that swam in Coventry and Warwickshire in Jurassic times when much of the area was underwater, including an ichthyosaur skull found in Harbury.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-work-on-walls-june">Work on Walls, June </h2>



Street artists have been commissioned to respond to the collection at the Herbert for the gallery&#8217;s main summer exhibition. The gallery has been celebrating some of the best, freshest and most controversial street artists around for many years.&nbsp; The UK premiere of the new temporary exhibition&nbsp;Street Art: Contemporary Prints from the V&amp;A was held here in 2010. More will be revealed soon. Watch this space.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-wildlife-photographer-of-the-year-oct">Wildlife Photographer of the Year, Oct </h2>



This acclaimed wildlife photography exhibition from the National History Museum returns this autumn and is a must-see for nature-lovers of all ages.



For further information visit <a href="https://www.theherbert.org/">the Herbert</a>

Diaries out! 4 hot new exhibitions in Coventry

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