Today we're in this amazing warehouse where Dippy's being stored just for a week or two
before we go down to Dorset and install.
I can't believe it was almost a year ago that we took Dippy down from Hintze Hall.
Since that time Dippy's been in Canada and had a new armature made,
and we're really excited because he's just come back to the UK now.
And so what we're doing here today is we're looking into all of the crates
where the parts of Dippy are and we're just checking over the condition
so that we can make sure we don't have any issues that we're unaware of.
Skull found!
Maybe - looks like it now.
So see that? It's not a major thing but it's probably just a little bit of stress when it
was packed in and you've just got these different physical forces on it. So it's very minor.
This is interesting. That was all in a box before, wasn't it?
We've checked all of the crates that have actually got parts of the skeleton in.
The condition is mainly OK there's one or two things that we need to deal with
but we can build that into the planning when we do the install now.
So we're going to be putting the crates back together and then
down to Dorset!
Dorchester is very special because it's the beginning of Dippy's journey
close to the Jurassic Coast
and Dorset County Museum has been so helpful and friendly
so we think Dorchester is a fitting start to this amazing journey for Dippy.
It's a large 25-metre-long skeleton, some parts are very heavy
and the venue here, like some of the other venues we're going to be installing Dippy in,
has its own unique set of challenges.
It's an amazing space but Dippy is quite large in this space
and we have to really consider what we're doing.
Heavy lifting equipment,
making sure every piece is checked over
that we've got all of the pieces and that we're putting them on in the right order.
There's lots of things to think about.
It's a bit like a giant, heavy Meccano set.
So you start with the back legs and then you put the pelvis on.
And then the challenge comes when you put all the vertebrae on
that join the pelvis to the front legs.
You have to almost do that in one,
so one piece is needed for the next piece to happen.
Finished!
I feel a little bit emotional but also a huge sense of relief
and a pleasure really at watching others
seeing Dippy for the first time in this space.
A lovely little boy called Harry Swift, aged 11, won the competition where you just say
a little bit about yourself and the fact that he loved dinosaurs.
Then he came in this morning and he was a natural, actually.
He really knew how to handle the toe and so I was really proud of Harry, actually.
And it was lovely to see that - to see him put that last piece on.
I think people love dinosaurs and they're very fond of Dippy
and I think people really feel for the message we're trying to say
about engaging with your own Natural History Adventure,
to learn more about your own natural world
and I think Dippy is going to be a great ambassador
so I think it's going to be a really successful tour and it's had a very strong start.