Chesham dinosaur collector opens fossil museum to visitors

Barry Taylor, a photographer from Chesham, owns an enviable collection of fossils, which he has carefully cumulated over the years.

The keen collector, known to some as the ‘Dinosaur Man’, owns more than 1,000 pre-historic relics at the back of his garden, including a dinosaur bone dating back to 70 million years ago.

Barry said: “I have about 1,000 fossils.

Barry welcomes visitors to his 'Jurassic Park' museum (Image: Amersham and Chesham MS Society)

“Geology has fascinated me for most of my life. I used to go and hunt for stones and bones when I was younger and the collection started from there.”

Now the public has the opportunity to visit Chesham’s own ‘Jurassic Par’ spanning Earth’s history at Barry’s home museum – ideal for families and school groups to learn what life was like when the dinosaurs still roamed around.

His home museum had to close during the Covid lockdowns, but “there are signs that interest is picking up again,” he said.

“It holds tremendous fascination for both old and young in the area,” Barry said.

The collection, including real dinosaur bones and replicas, are fascinating to children and adults alike (Image: Amersham and Chesham MS Society)

Barry has cared for the collection meticulously despite living with Multiple Sclerosis for the 50 years. For the past 12 years, Barry has used a wheelchair.

He said: “That obviously means my life can be extremely challenging but it does not prevent me from achieving personal targets.”

In addition to his role as the ‘Dinosaur Man’, Barry’s photographic work has featured in many exhibitions.

He also sells his work to raise money for MS charities.

Despite efforts to improve the lives of disabled people in his hometown and Buckinghamshire “there is so much to do,” he explained.

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He continued: “There are good people in the area who devote considerable time to helping people with MS.

“But more could be done.

“One area for improvement is the provision of more taxis in Chesham and surrounding area for disabled people including those with MS.

“Many taxis do not cater for disabled people. And this seems unfair. So that is one area where progress can be made.”

Around 100,000 people have MS in the UK, figures from the MS Society show.

The symptoms typically appear when people hit their 20s and 30s, including sight loss, pain, fatigue, incontinence and disability because MS attacks the nervous system.

Living with MS can be tough since the condition is unpredictable, meaning one day a person can be fine and the next day they might lose their sight or be unable to move.

Amersham and Chesham MS Society holds a social meeting on the second and fourth Friday of each month in Chesham Town Hall on Parsonage Lane from 10am to 12.30pm.

For enquiries to visit Barry's museum contact him on 01494 794470 and leave a message.