Plans for sea dragon centrepiece at new-look museum

Palaeontologist Dr Dean Lomax (being used for scale) said in 2021 it was an honour to lead the excavation

The UK's largest complete ichthyosaur skeleton could form a major part of plans to transform a museum.

Rutland County Council is set to discuss proposals to turn the Rutland County Museum into a cultural and civic centre.

Design work will begin if it is given the go-ahead and the authority hopes it will be able to acquire the famous sea dragon skeleton from Anglian Water and make it the centrepiece of the development.

The skeleton of the ichthyosaur - an ocean-going reptile from the time of the dinosaurs - was found at Rutland Water in 2021.

The 33ft (10m) long ichthyosaur fossil, which is about 180 million years old, was found at Rutland Water Nature Reserve in 2021

In addition to the skeleton, a digital visitor experience of the county's rare Roman Mosaic, discovered alongside remnants of a Roman villa in 2020, would also be part of the transformation.

Council leader Gale Waller said, if approved, the proposals would help boost tourism, support businesses and ensure the sustainability of "Rutland's priceless heritage assets".

Ichthyosaurs became extinct about 90 million years ago

The cost of enhancing the museum would be covered by UK government funding, formerly known as levelling up funding, worth £22.95m.

It would be spent on re-designing the building and Catmose Cottage site, where it is based in Oakham, as well as on interactive digital exhibits of the historic discoveries.

While the council's cabinet will discuss taking ownership of the ichthyosaur fossil from Anglian Water, the authority said it would need to secure extra funding before putting it on display.

The plans for Rutland County Museum will be discussed on Tuesday

Waller said the proposals would "see the magnificent Rutland Ichthyosaur brought to life alongside other valuable local treasures inside a much-improved museum building".

"This has huge potential in terms of attracting more visitors to our area, supporting local businesses and ensuring the long-term sustainability of Rutland's priceless heritage assets," she said.

The county council's cabinet will discuss the plans on Tuesday.