Just to prove that everybody loves a dinosaur and a good dinosaur story around 1,100 dinosaur fans flocked to see a 35-foot Victorian Iguanodon that visited Hastings Museum and Art Gallery last week.

The amazing sight was the stage for a performance by Emerald Ant’s outdoor family theatre of, The Iguanodon Restaurant. The play told the stories of the earliest fossil hunters, their discoveries and their rivalries. Inspiration for the piece was a banquet that took place in London in 1853 inside the concrete mould of an Iguanodon that involved the most noted fossil hunters of the time.

The performance marked the conclusion of the summer programme at the museum for youngsters and their families Deputy leader of Hastings Borough Council and lead member for regeneration and culture, Councillor Kim Forward said: “This was a spectacular end to a very busy and popular summer programme for families and young people at the museum, which also included weekly storytelling with Kevin Graal and art workshops with Riz Maslen and Ed Boxall. As always, these events and admission to the museum are all free.”

The Iguanodon is Hastings’ local dinosaur and the museum has an important collection of fossil specimens. The show inspired audiences in their geological landscape, fossils and local history, and inside the museum, visitors also got the chance to handle real fossils and make some fun things to take home as a souvenir.