Originally due to open at the East Anglian venue in July 2020, the Natural History Museum’s hugely successful touring exhibition will now take place between 13th July and 30th October 2021.
The iconic Diplodocus skeleton cast has brought hundreds of thousands of visitors to locations in Dorset, Birmingham, Belfast, Glasgow, Newcastle upon Tyne, Cardiff and Rochdale during its public engagement meander across the nation.
Freya Stannard, Natural History Museum’s head of national programmes, labels Norwich Cathedral the “perfect destination to bring a close to Dippy’s nationwide tour which launched all the way back in 2017 and has seen record numbers of visitors attend each venue”.
Just in time for the start of the busy school summer holiday period, the world-famous dinosaur will take pride of place in the Norman ecclesiastical structure once assembly of the 356 bones is completed by a specialist team of four technicians and two conservators.
“After all this time preparing, it is incredibly exciting to finally have Dippy here,” says the Very Revd Jane Hedges, Dean of Norwich.
“We really hope that Dippy’s visit will bring great delight to people of all ages and that it will also spark constructive conversations about the relationship between faith and science, about everyone’s responsibility to help protect the planet, and about many other important subjects too.”
The original scheduling of Dippy on Tour: A Natural History Adventure’s final stop was designed to build on the momentum of 2019’s summer, when Norwich Cathedral drew international acclaim for its helter skelter.
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Alongside the star attraction this year, a time tunnel is being created in the Cloister by local school children as Norfolk artist Mark Reed crafts a wave of more than 1,000 fish in the Hostry for his sculptural installation.
A special programme of Dippy-inspired events, featuring film nights and talks, will also be run throughout the temporary exhibition.
Entry to the Dippy on Tour will be free with no need to book tickets in advance, as Norwich Cathedral and the Natural History Museum continue working together closely to ensure visitor safety.
