life
OUT & ABOUT
Dinosaur Farm set
for roaring success
IT’S a work in progress, but the excitement
is in its very rawness. Since the Island’s
Fossil Man has taken over the Dinosaur
Farm near Compton there is an air of
possibility, that this amazing resource which
captures the essence of our Jurassic Island is
about to come into its own.
“This is a hundred and fifty million years
old!” one child was telling another. They
are so close to the exhibits there is no sense
of museum fustiness. Which is exactly as
Martin Simpson wants it. His own passion
for his subject is infectious as he offers
every visitor a guided tour.
“There’s a dinosaur waiting to be dug out
of that hill over there,” says Martin.“This
is its thigh bone.” And suddenly it doesn’t
matter a jot that there are no fancy gizmos
that are the current trend in historical
attractions. “One of the most popular
activities is the archaeological sand pit,” he
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says. “The kids get to distinguish thigh
bones from back bones, and can get a
prize.”
Martin’s tours start from 120 million
years ago: at the ammonites he tells a
story about the sea creatures; he ends at
the Ice Age. On the way visitors see the
extraordinarily complete skeleton of a
Polacanthus. All the pieces on display
are from the local cliffs, amassed over
30 years of enthusiastic fossil hunting.
Martin also conducts fossil trips to
Compton beach. “We show them how
to find bits of minerals and fossils, and
every so often someone finds something
good.”
Surely the perfect activity for budding
archaeologists, of all ages. Hardly
surprising then that the Dinosaur Farm was
voted best value attraction in Europe.
Dinosaur Farm, Lower Sutton Farm,
Military Road, Brighstone.
Tel: 01983 740844
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