Artwork to celebrate rich history in Warwick

The Warwickshire Geological Conservation Group awarded the funds to commission two scientific artworks and help celebrate the county’s history as one of the most geologically diverse in the UK.

Market Hall Museum in Warwick will display the two bespoke scientific illustrations thanks to the Rob Holloway Award fund.

It is hoped that the pieces will help explain Warwickshire’s 600million year geological history- which spans from the volcanic eruptions of the Precambrian Period to the sands and gravels of the Pleistocene ice ages formed over the last half-million years.

The artworks will be displayed in the newly refurbished museum when it reopens in September, and Jon Radley, curator of natural sciences, is already working with scientific illustrator Bob Nicholls to get the pieces in place.

Welcoming funding, county councillor, Jeff Clarke, said: “The new artwork will be a fascinating contribution, helping to create more compelling, engaging and challenging displays at Market Hall Museum.”

Benefactor, Rob Holloway was a long-standing member of the Geological Conservation Group (WGCG), and before his death in 2010 he left a generous bequest to be used to develop an interest in geology and help strengthen the public understanding of science.

WGCG, a registered charity, has previously worked closely with Warwickshire Museum on conservation and educational projects.

And the Market Hall museum is already home to a Wilmcote plesiosaur skeleton which was found within rocky deposits of Warwickshire fossils - making it the ideal site for displays.

The musumem’s refurbishment is part of the Our Warwickshire project to celebrate and promote heritage across the county.

It is being run by Heritage and Culture Warwickshire and funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund and hopes to improve the visitor experience and knowledge on history and geology.

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