ONE of the region's most famous fossil hunters has been celebrated at one of the world's biggest museums.

The Natural History Museum has opened the new 'Anning Rooms', an exclusive space for members and patrons.

The rooms are named in celebration of Lyme Regis fossil hunter Mary Anning, who made numerous important contributions to science through her lifelong exploration of the Jurassic Coast.

Located in the South Central Towers of the Grade I listed Waterhouse building, the long-unused rooms have been refurbished and repurposed.

Christina Heap, head of membership at the Natural History Museum, said: "We are delighted to be able to breathe new life back into this neglected, historic space. "The beautifully curated suite of rooms will provide an exciting, inspiring and engaging space for members and patrons to enjoy, celebrating the museum's world-class collections, work and activities.

"In line with the museum's aim of championing women in science, we are proud to have named the rooms in recognition of Mary Anning's vital contribution to early paleontology and geology."

The space has been designed to meet the needs of the museum's growing number of members and patrons, and includes a new restaurant, dining room and study.

Originally, the rooms housed the botany department when the museum's natural history section had been moved to South Kensington to become its own museum in 1881, and then contained desks and bookcases for research, as well as collection spaces.

The area was damaged between 1940 and 1941 due to the Blitz, and in the rebuild, developed to allow for additional storage, partitions, and further office and laboratory facilities.

Mary Anning was born in Lyme Regis in 1799, and at the age of 12, dug out the 5.2 metre-long ichthyosaur skeleton, the head of which was found by her brother Joseph, the first of several discoveries in Mary's life.

By the early 1820s, Anning had created a reputation for finding and identifying fossils, and taught herself anatomy and dissected animals to compare them to her fossils, with many seeking her out for advice and clarification.

She found, dug out, cleaned, prepared and identified several specimens and sold them to men from the field of palaeontology, but never received the credit she deserved.

Today, the museum displays several of Anning's finds, including the ichthyosaur, plesiosaur and pterosaur.

A spokesman for the museum said: "The museum is proud to pay tribute to this extraordinary woman, who from such a young age changed the course of palaeontology and natural science, and whose ground-breaking work went unrecognised for so long."

To find out more, visit nhm.ac.uk