Unique dinosaur fossils and specimens from China are to be brought to Nottingham next year to be displayed at Wollaton Hall.
The fossils, which have never been seen before outside of Asia, are to be brought to life with a display next summer.
At four metres high and eight metres long, the largest feathered dinosaur ever found, called the Gigantoraptor, will be the highlight of the exhibition.
It comes after the city council, the University of Nottingham and Chinese experts agreed a deal.
Dr George Baxter, of the University of Nottingham, said: “Bringing this dinosaur exhibition to Nottingham from China is an enormous coup for the city.”
IT’S A tremendous boost to tourism and the local economy
The display will show how dinosaurs evolved into the birds that live alongside us today, and will not only feature the bones of dinosaurs, but also skin and feathers.
Dr Baxter said: “Due to the links the university has established with the Institute of Vertebrate of Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, we now have a unique opportunity to host a natural history exhibition of international significance in Nottingham, which would be a tremendous boost to tourism and the local economy.”
Head of Leisure and Culture at Nottingham City Council, Councillor, Dave Trimble, said: “We are absolutely thrilled Nottingham has been chosen to host this remarkable exhibition when it comes to Europe for the first time. The feathered dinosaur collection will attract national and international visitors and amaze and inspire a new generation of young people.”
The collection will be on loan from the Paleozoological Museum of China, Shandong TianYu Museum, and the Dinosaur Museum of Erlianhaote in Inner Mongolia.
In addition to the feathered dinosaurs, there will also be specimens of some the largest prehistoric creatures ever found in China.
Cllr Trimble said: “Nottingham has a rapidly growing reputation in China as the UK’s most China-friendly city. We’re proud of our strong cultural, trade, civic and educational links with our sister city of Ningbo.”
Many of the species in the exhibition were only discovered and named in the last 20 years by leading palaeontologists in the Institute of Vertebrate Palaeontology and Palaeoanthropology in Beijing,which has close links with The University of Nottingham.
