A 150 million year old dinosaur has found a new home on Dorset’s Jurassic Coast, after Big Sara the allosaurus moved into the Etches Museum at Kimmeridge.
Big Sara has become the newest and largest addition to The Etches Collection’s fossil family and is on loan to the museum for the next two years thanks to Poole businessman James Benamor, who bought her at auction six years ago.
Big Sara the allosaurus was assembled at The Etches Collection in Kimmeridge ahead of its official unveiling
On loan for next two years
From Saturday 28th February 2026, the Museum of Jurassic Marine Life will have exhibits showing apex predators both on land and sea – the skull of Kimmeridge’s world famous Sea Rex pliosaur and the spectacular 10 metre long allosaurus skeleton.
Big Sara was unearthed in Kimmeridgean deposits in Wyoming USA in 2015, and has most recently been on display at Southampton’s Westquay shopping centre, but her owner wanted her to be on display on the Jurassic Coast.
The allosaurus stood three and a half metres tall and roamed the earth during the upper Jurassic period, at the same point in prehistory when the pliosaur whose skull was dug out of cliffs at Kimmeridge was dominating life in the seas.
Big Sara’s skeleton is more than 70 percent complete, making her one of the most complete specimens in the world, and becomes the only real dinosaur skeleton currently on public display in Dorset and the only real allosaurus skeleton displayed in the UK.
Several of the ribs preserve clear evidence of healed injuries, most likely sustained during violent encounters with prey or rival predators, providing a rare and compelling insight into the life of a large carnivorous dinosaur and the challenges it faced during the Jurassic era.
Steve Etches led the assembly of Big Sara in the museum’s Clore Room
“Bought on a whim for about £3 million”
Founder of The Etches Collection Steve Etches said:
“Our exhibits here are mainly marine, but this allosaurus is Kimmeridgian in age, from the Upper Jurassic Morrison formation of Wyoming, and would have lived on land at the same time as our pliosaur lived in the marine environment.
“It was on show at Westquay shopping centre in Southampton, but its owner James Benamor really wanted it to be displayed on the Jurassic Coast and offered it to us first and foremost rather than to Dorchester, which is well inland.
“James bought it on a whim for about £3 million when it came up for auction at Paris in 2020 and it will be on loan to us for the next two years courtesy of The Richmond Group, offering a limited time opportunity to encounter one of the Jurassic’s most formidable predators up close.
“One of his children had come here as part of a school group and was really impressed, and we were the first place he thought of as a home for the skeleton.”
Steve Etches and James Benamor with Big Sara the allosaurus at The Etches Museum
“A very generous thing to do”
Steve added:
“We also have a lovely exhibit from Wealden on the Isle of Wight coming here, which shows an allosaurus footprint, you can clearly see where the claws went in and left a beautiful impression.
“Another little dinosaur called a hypsilophadon will go on display in the museum, in a case, and these extra exhibits will allow our visitors to explore the connection between life on land and life in the oceans during one of the most remarkable periods in Earth’s history.
“Museums are the first things to get a financial cut in hard times, which is a terrible shame – if this was Germany or America it wouldn’t be that a problem, but in the UK we don’t value museums as part of our heritage any more.
“Our museum relies on visitors to carry on, so this allosaurus will hopefully bring a few more people in for a couple of years at least. For us, it is fantastic, a very generous thing of James Benamor to do, to think of us first. We are very lucky to get this skeleton here.”
An AI generated image of a tiny hypsilophadon, which will also go on display at The Etches Collection
Brought to life in Walking With Dinosaurs
Allosaurus was a cousin of the T-Rex, but lived about 80 million years before its better known relative. It was smaller and faster than a T-Rex, but still very much at the top of the dinosaur food chain during the Jurassic period.
The name allosaurus means ‘different’ or ‘strange’ lizard, referring to the unusual structure of its vertebrae and fossils have been found predominantly in Wyoming and Utah, although significant remains have also been uncovered in Portugal.
The dinosaur was famously brought to life for millions in the BBC series Walking with Dinosaurs, including an episode dedicated to an individual nicknamed Big Al.
Despite the excitement, there are still challenges ahead for the Kimmeridge museum, which continues to plan the excavation of the remainder of its pliosaur skeleton, featured in the BBC documentary Attenborough and the Giant Sea Monster.
The full allosaurus skeleton will be on public display for the next two years
“Time is still of the essence”
Steve Etches said:
“When it comes to excavating the rest of our pliosaur, we think this summer is out, it won’t be until next summer, 2027. We are still awaiting a final price for the excavation, and hopefully we have secured the finances, but I can’t say anything more about that at the moment.
“We have been checking the site where the pliosaur is and there’s nothing showing, so we think we’re ok – hopefully the rest of the skeleton is behind the skull and going straight back into the cliffs.
“Time is still of the essence and we need to get it out in the next couple of years, otherwise we will start to lose some really valuable parts of it.
“We have had tremendous support from the public for the crowdfunder, which is really good, but we still have a big problem – where to put our Sea Rex when we find it.”
An extension is being planned to The Etches Museum if the full Sea Rex skeleton can be recovered
“An extension is in our minds”
Steve Etches added:
“An extension to the museum is in our minds, we would want to put it on show as soon as possible, but we would need an extension to do that, with all the expenses that incurs.
“It would become a major centre, a hall that shows predatory marine creatures like the pliosaurs and crocodiles that we get in the Kimmeridgian deposits, which would be a one and only of its kind, anywhere in the world.
“The Natural History Museum’s marine room hasn’t been changed in 150 years so we are trying to think outside the box to become a beacon for dynamic Jurassic exhibitions, and we could achieve it with this.
“In the meantime, the more people who hear about the museum and visit us, the more support we can raise for our pliosaur appeal, and we hope that Big Sara will play a huge part in bringing more people through our doors.”
Emilia Fox, star of the BBC drama Silent Witness, will introduce a fundraising event for the museum’s pliosaur excavation
Emilia Fox to present event at The Mowlem
In the meantime, a Jurassic themed evening comes to The Mowlem Theatre on Thursday 16th April 2026, with a special screening of Pliosaurus – The Discovery of a Monster, followed by an in depth talk and audience discussion with Steve Etches.
The event will be introduced by Emilia Fox, star of the BBC’s acclaimed forensic detective series Silent Witness, who grew up in Kimmeridge with her parents, Edward Fox and Joanna David.
The award nominated documentary, which explores the discovery, excavation, and significance of one of the largest Jurassic marine predators ever found, will then be shown before Steve Etches takes to the stage to share further insights and answer questions from the audience.
The evening has also received significant local backing, with Swanage and Purbeck Rotary Club confirmed as official supporters as part of its commitment to education, heritage, and community engagement within the area.
The pliosaur skull which the museum hopes to reunite with the rest of its skeleton by summer 2027
Further information
- Find out more about Big Sara and check opening hours at The Etches Collection website
- Book tickets at The Mowlem for the Etches Collection special screening of Pliosaurus – The Discovery of a Monster
