Victorian Hall

The Victorian Hall is the main gallery of the museum built in 1883 with arches of fine cast ironwork inspired by the Great Exhibition of 1851, and a beautiful rose window. Displayed within the gallery is a rich and varied collection of artefacts ranging from Roman mosaics and Tudor paintings to a contemporary carving by sculptor Alan Marsh (1912-1997). The mosaics inlaid on the floor came from Roman town houses excavated in and around Dorchester - the site of the Roman town of Durnovaria. The Victorian Hall houses an eclectic selection of objects representing the domestic, working and public lives and culture of the people of Dorset. However, the objects on display form only a fraction of our total collection - there are well over 3,500 social history objects in store.