The spectacular remains of the first stegosaur to be described by scientists – discovered in a clay pit in Swindon in 1874 – are on display in the grand surroundings of the Natural History Museum in London.
But 150 years on, a little piece of the Swindon Stegosaur has been returned to the Wiltshire town, after two fossil hunters spotted one of its vertebrae for sale on an online marketplace site.
They alerted the council and it has gone on display at the local authority-run museum in Swindon, a reminder of the role the town played in one of the UK’s most remarkable dinosaur discoveries.
The fossil remains were found in the clay pits of Swindon Brick and Tile Company in 1874, a site in Fleming Way now occupied by shops and a gardens.
The Swindon Stegosaur on display at the Natural History Museum in London. Photograph: Swindon borough councilThey were sent off to Sir Richard Owen, then director of the Natural History Museum, for identification, and became the first stegosaur ever named and described by scientists.
The remains – the hip, a back leg and parts of the backbone of the creature – are considered a “roadmap” for understanding what stegosaur looked like, and can still be seen in London.
Sally and Neville Hollingworth spotted the vertebra being offered for sale.
The pair said: “We realised its importance straight away. When the Swindon Stegosaur was collected in the 19th century some of the original material ended up in private collections and we recognised that the vertebra offered for sale had come from the original site.
“We’re delighted Museum & Art Swindon has put this truly unique find from the town on display and, hopefully, this will help raise awareness about the town’s Jurassic past.”
Marina Strinkovsky, Swindon borough council’s cabinet member for placemaking and planning, said: “Swindon was really important in the history of palaeontology and loads of important fossil hunters lived here or visited Swindon in the late 19th century to look for specimens.
“The stegosaur ignites the imagination of Swindonians of all ages, and it’s fantastic that a piece of it is home.”
The vertebra can be seen now at the museum’s Swindon Rocks gallery.