Danum Gallery, Library and Museum

Danum Gallery, Library and Museum is a multi-purpose cultural venue in Doncaster, South Yorkshire, England. Formerly known as Doncaster Museum and Art Gallery, the institution traces its origins to 1909 but took its present form and name when it opened in a new building in 2021. It functions as a combined gallery, library, and museum, serving as a major cultural hub for the town and preserving Doncaster's heritage across art, natural history, archaeology, local history, and rail engineering.

The first Doncaster Museum opened in 1909 at Beechfield House, initially using only the ground floor. From 1955, the site also operated a small zoo. In 1964, the museum moved to a purpose-built location on Chequer Road, where it remained for over half a century. This 1964 building housed collections spanning natural history, archaeology, local history, and fine and decorative art, and also accommodated the Regimental Museum of the King's Own Yorkshire Light Infantry. The museum received recognition in 2009 when it won the Most Improved Audience Figures award from Audiences Yorkshire. The Chequer Road site closed on 17 January 2020, with relocation to a new venue originally planned for summer 2020. The COVID-19 pandemic delayed this process, though the new building was completed in October 2020. The Danum Gallery, Library and Museum opened to the public on 29 May 2021. The original Chequer Road site subsequently became home to the Doncaster Archives and Local Studies Library.

The museum's collections encompass natural history, archaeology, local history, and fine and decorative art. A significant scientific holding is the holotype of Ichthyosaurus anningae, an extinct ichthyosaur species identified in the museum's collection in 2008 and formally named in 2015. The institution also maintains a strong focus on Doncaster's Roman heritage and its pivotal role in railway manufacturing. The rail heritage dimension was substantially expanded at the new venue with the opening of a dedicated rail heritage centre on 19 September 2021.

Among the museum's signature objects is the Roman Danum shield, a first-century artefact discovered in Doncaster in 1971. The rail heritage centre displays two locomotives built in Doncaster: the Great Northern Railway C1 class locomotive No. 251 and the London and North Eastern Railway Class V2 4771 locomotive Green Arrow. Both are on loan from the National Railway Museum for three years from February 2021. These exhibits celebrate Doncaster's contribution to the rail industry.

The new Danum Gallery, Library and Museum building cost £14 million to construct. It encloses the former Doncaster High School for Girls building, integrating this historic educational structure into a contemporary cultural facility. The combination of gallery, library, and museum functions within a single venue represents a deliberate effort to create a multi-purpose community resource.

The Danum Gallery, Library and Museum is located in Doncaster, South Yorkshire, England. Its official website is https://www.dglam.org.uk/. The venue opened to the public on 29 May 2021, following pandemic-related delays to the original summer 2020 schedule.