An iconic Dorchester museum which has temporarily closed will soon pop up in a much bouncier form in Weymouth.

As part of the countrywide Festival of Archaeology, Dorset County Museum’s gigantic inflatable replica will be making a special appearance at Weymouth’s Sea Cadet Training Centre.

Supported by South Harbourside Community, the inflatable museum will be at the centre near the seafront for one day only on Sunday, July 21.

Free to everyone from 11am to 3pm, visitors are invited to join in a programme of family friendly activities as well as handle and learn about archaeological finds from the Bronze Age to the Romans., which form a huge part of the museum’s collection.

Emma Talbot, head of education and learning, said: “We’re looking forward to meeting the community and hope as many families as possible take the opportunity to pop along to see us.”

“We’ll have real artefacts from our museum archaeological collection for people to handle and learn about, as well as activities for families to engage with in a fun and friendly way. “

The inflatable museum is an opportunity for the community to see the museum’s collection of real objects while it undergoes a £15.3 million renovation.

Opening in summer next year, the museum will be complete with new galleries, a learning centre and visitor facilities.

The Festival of Archaeology is nationally coordinated by the Council for British Archaeology, commemorating archaeology, science and technology across the country