Summer 2021
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Dippy on Tour: A Natural History Adventure Dino fever comes to Norwich this summer with the arrival of the most famous dinosaur in the country. Dippy, the Natural History Museum’s iconic Diplodocus cast, will be taking up residence in the Cathedral’s Nave in July, and the Dippy on Tour exhibition will run from July 13th to October 30th. Dinosaur fans eager to know what to expect from Dippy’s visit can now find out more on a new Dippy microsite, linked to the Cathedral’s own website cathedral.org.uk. This details everything from opening times and other practical information about the exhibition to fun dinosaur activities for people to enjoy at home.
Cathedral on Dippy’s tour, Dippy’s Norwich visit also aims to spark conversations about science and faith. Norfolk-based artist Rebecca Osborne will be drawing upon some of these themes in a special series of illustrated panels, meanwhile there will also be a display of green hearts created by Norfolk WI members that aim to encourage everyone to think about the Earth’s future and help combat climate change.
There will also be a special programme of Dippy-inspired events featuring everything from film nights to dino tales and talks. Every Saturday morning from 9am until 9.30am, Saturday Stories will take place, giving children the unique chance to hear some dinosaur tales read aloud under the tail of Dippy. Talkative Tuesdays will be a weekly series of evening talks, focusing on the encounter between faith and science through the ages.
Visitors will start their experience from the Dark Entry of the Cathedral’s Cloister and, before coming face-to-face with Dippy, will step back into the age of the dinosaurs via a time tunnel created by local school pupils. They will also be able to take a closer look at fossils kindly loaned by Norfolk Museums Service and walk through an immersive wave sculpture created by Norfolk-based artist Mark Reed called Your Waves Go Over Me. In the Cathedral’s Nave, Dippy will take centre stage against the stunning backdrop of the Cathedral’s 900-year-old architecture, with the iconic 26m dinosaur cast stretching out to face the Cathedral’s Great West Door. Dippy’s nationwide tour aims to inspire people to engage with nature, to think about the great diversity of life that has lived on Earth, and to consider our own footprint on the planet. As the only
Dippy © Trustees of the Natural History Museum
Also in the Nave, Children will be able to follow Dippy’s footprints to find some of his fellow dinosaurs and learn some fun facts about dinosaurs and Norwich Cathedral too. Outside in The Close, people will be able to learn more about some of Dippy’s closest relatives – birds – thanks to the Hawk and Owl Trust who will have a stand in the Cathedral’s Lower Close throughout the duration of Dippy’s visit.
A Fun Thursdays programme will feature everything from film screenings of Jurassic Park and Paddington Bear (in which Dippy makes a cameo appearance) to unique organ recitals played by the Cathedral’s musicians. There will also be a quiz night and special art and photography evenings for people to capture Dippy on camera or canvas outside of the busy times of the daytime exhibition.
