Unearthing treasures: The past, present, and future of a local authority museum geological collection

The geological collections at Hastings Museum and Art Gallery date back to the mid-19th Century. The first acquisitions were made in the late 1800s by the Hastings and St Leonard’s Museums Association following its formation in 1889. The collections gradually expanded from then on to encompass a diverse array of geological specimens. The current geological collection is predominantly made up of local Cretaceous fossils but also includes minerals and petrological samples from both the UK and abroad. In 2019, a new chapter in the collection's journey began with the appointment of a dedicated Collections and Engagement Curator of Natural Sciences and Archaeology. Tasked with caring for, and developing this invaluable repository of Earth's history, the curator has embarked on a mission to preserve, interpret, share, and add to the treasures within, ensuring their accessibility and relevance for future generations. Recent work on the collections has uncovered new insights including links with national collections and at least one important scientific discovery of a spinosaur tooth from an unknown species. Collections development plans for the future include a project focussed on the Museum’s underused mineral and petrology collection.