Dinosaur ready to step into museum

The giant footprints are thought to be from a Megalosaurus, and will go on show in a new Dinosaur Garden exhibit.

The footprints were uncovered in 1997 in Ardley, near Bicester, when work was taking place to build a new waste management site.

More than £325,000 was given to the county council by developer Viridor to spend on preserving, transporting, and conserving the footprints, ahead of them going on display on Saturday this week.

Tom Freshwater, from Oxfordshire County Council's museums service, said: "It is brilliant that the public can see such a significant discovery for themselves at the Oxfordshire Museum.

“I would like to thank Viridor on behalf of the county council for their efforts and their significant role in the preservation and display of these important fossils.”

The Dinosaur Garden will also include a life-size replica of a Megalosaurus — a meat-eating dinosaur, that was first described scientifically after a piece of bone was found in Chipping Norton in 1676.

The bone was sent to Robert Plot, who was a professor at Oxford University, as well as the first curator of the Ashmolean Museum, who published his description in his 1677 book, Natural History of Oxfordshire.

A series of free activities are being laid on for the opening of the new exhibition, including a film about the discovery, presented by wildlife expert Chris Packham.

Mr Packham said: “When a full-size dinosaur turns up in your garden, you are either drunk, terrified, or over the moon.

“The Oxfordshire Museum is very definitely in the latter category, as their new recruit in their drive to introduce these amazing animals to the public arrives in the form of a fantastically realistic giant predator.

“It puts some scale to the footprints which were found."

People will also be given the chance to make a plaster cast of a fossil and the chance to try on dinosaur costumes.

The events will be taking place between 11am and 4pm.

For more information, contact the museum, on 01993 811456.