Derby Museum and Art Gallery, UK, Derby Resort
Rating: 7,9/10 (2000 votes)  Derby Museum and Art Gallery is a museum in the British city of Derby. It was founded by philanthropist Michael Thomas Jr. jointly with the Central City Library and housed in a building built by the architect Richard Neal Freeman especially for him in 1836. Immediately upon completion of the work, the museum was donated to the city.
The museum houses a large number of works by Joseph Wright, one of the most prominent British painters: over 300 sketches and sketches, 34 oil paintings and various documents. In addition, the museum has a wide range of products from the Royal Crown Derby, a porcelain manufacturer since the 1750s. Also, the exposition of the museum includes a variety of archaeological, natural science, historical, geological and military objects. In particular, these are items found in archaeological expeditions: a jug from the Derb Hippodrome, a hewn shuttle from Henson of the Bronze Age; the unique Allenton hippopotamus (a well-preserved three-meter skeleton of a hippopotamus), the Whitehurst and Son sundial showing the time to the minute, the rare matlokite, various Ashford black marble products, the herbarium of the famous British botanist Joseph Whittaker (more than 2200 plants). The collection of paintings presented is also rich: it includes paintings by Louise Rainer, Samuel Rainer, Ernst Townsend, John Haslem, David Payne, Alfred John Keane, George Turner, Ernst Ellias Keane and other British artists. In addition, the museum contains items that are not directly related to the history of the region, in particular, Tatanua masks.
The museum attracts tourists with its unusual expositions, in particular, the 9/12 Prince of Wales Regiment's Museum of the Royal Ulan Regiment and Prince Charlie's Handsome Room. The entrance to the Regimental Museum is free, but those who wish can donate for the development and maintenance of the collection. The gallery received its current appearance with the support of 9/12 Prince of Wales Royal Uhlan Regiment, Derby City Council, other companies and a grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF). After the renovation, the Regimental Museum was opened in 2008. At the same time, about 200 new items were added to the exposition, in particular, weapons and medals, a model of a tank tower, reconstructions of lancers from the First World War, a small fragment of a trench. This exposition is accompanied by an audio and video guide.
Also in the museum is Prince Charlie's Handsome Room, a replica of the room in Exter House with original paneling, where Carl Edward Stewart lived and held a council of war during the Second Jacobite Uprising.
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