If you would like a copy of the full printed version (including photographs, charts etc), send us an E-Mail or write to:-

Foreward

The Museum is not at present open to the public due to lack of suitable premises in which to display the collection, but its work continues by maintaining and supplementing the numerous specimens we hold and by publishing information on the geological sciences both in print and through our website www.stonemuseum.org.uk

Our income was up 11.5% over 2002/2003 partially offset by a corresponding 12.4% increase in costs due to a larger number of acquisitions to the collection during the year. Running costs were down by 12.8% over the previous year mainly attributable to a benefactor providing us this year with free electricity.

Fixed assets, together with assets held in trust, continue to grow with a year-on-year increase of 9.4%.

Brian R J Glover
Curator

Department of Palaeontology

Acquisitions by Donation

• a fine specimen of a Dactylioceras ammonite from the Jurassic of Somerset was donated by Mr Peter Kelsall of Cannock, Staffordshire.

Acquisitions by Purchase

The Museum acquired a number of specimens from suppliers and rock and fossil fairs around the south east including:

• Araucaria and Sequoia pine cones from the Jurassic of Patagonia, Argentina from Gregory, Bottley & Lloyd of Earls Court, London;
• finely preserved fronds from the Zamites cycad and clubmosses, from Down to Earth of Gloucester;
• a number of Cretaceous sea urchins, Gibbithyris bivalves and a partial Calamites horsetail, from Gemset of Broadstairs;
• a fine specimen of Metasequoia leaves and a Calamites stem from Richard Widdowson of Scarborough;
• a Cretaceous sponge from the Farringdon Beds of Berkshire, from The National Stone Centre, Derbyshire.

The Museum was also fortunate to have had the opportunity to acquire The Simon Breeds Collection from Derbyshire, containing over 100 fossils from Derbyshire and Yorkshire.

Acquisitions by Field Trip

• a number of bivalves, fish teeth and sponge casts from Galley Hill, Sussex;
• a crab carapace was from Warden Point, Sheppey;
• an Inoceramus bivalve from Cliftonville, Kent.

Department of Geology

Acquisitions by Field Trip

• samples of shale, sandstone and ironstone nodules from Hastings, Sussex;
• a fine specimen of Hornblende from Dartford Kent (Frobisher's Gold);
• samples of Weald Clay, sandstone and granodiorite from Galley Hill, Sussex.

Acquisitions by Donation

• Fine specimens of Barytes, Basalt and Copper from the Lake District of England from Mr Peter Kelsall, Cannock, Staffordshire;
• a specimen of basalt from Mount Teide, Tnerife, from Mr Mervin Field of Essex;
• Specimens of vesicular Basalt from Mount Vesuvious, Italy, from Miss Christine Gale of Chigwell, Essex;
• a quantity of pink coral sand from Mauritius, from Mrs Susan Hanford of Yate, Gloucestershire.

Acquisitions by Purchase

• a fine piece of iron octahedrite from the Nantan fall of 1958, from Gregory, Bottley & Lloyd of Earls Court, London;
• an Australian Thunder Egg from G. Butler of Tunbridge Wells, Kent;
• a large piece of Kenyan Kisii sandstone from Masai Mara, Bluewater, Kent;
• a fine sample of Egyptian Talc, from the National Stone Centre, Derbyshire;
• Examples of Diatomaceous Earth and Halite, from Richard Widdowson of Scarborough, Yorkshire.

Some 50 rock and mineral specimens were also obtained through our acquisition of The Simon Breeds Collection.

Botanical Department

Acquisitions by Purchase

• A fine specimen of the Dicksonia antarctica tree fern from Alton Garden Centre, Wickford, Essex;
• a number of horsetails of different species from Natural Selection of Hullavington, Wiltshire.

The Museum Web-Site - http://www.stonemuseum.org.uk

The website contains descriptions of the Museum, its aims and the scope of its collection, but more importantly, contains sections on where to go to see geological and palaeontological attractions and sites, where to go to collect rocks and fossils and also lists world news of earthquakes, volcanic activity, mining developments and major fossil finds.

There are special pages devoted to background and reference information on geology and pages including write-ups of Museum field trips and expeditions together with reports on the research that we undertake.

The website also contains numerous useful links to museums, institutions and commercial organisations around the world that display, exhibit, promote or exploit the science of geology.

Our site underwent a major overhaul during the year when we transferred to Tiscali as our internet service provider. Their generous donation of webspace allowed us to consolidate all of our files onto one site, allowing the user much faster access and easier navigation.

A key addition in the last year was the introduction of photo galleries of the plants and trees in the collection along with their fossil counterparts.

Library & Resource Centre

Our library holdings continue to be the fastest growth area of the Museum with materials currently available including:-

Books	128
Information Leaflets	243
Scientific Papers	27
Magazines & Publications	355
Maps	23
U.K. Newspaper Extracts	137
Video & Audio Tapes	12
College Prospectuses	75
Newsfiles (held electronically)	6164
Miscellaneous	2
TOTAL	7186

Electronic Newsfiles

We are grateful to the various news agencies around the world that supply us with up to the minute information on fossil finds, volcanic eruptions and earthquakes, including Reuters, Associated Press, PR Newswire, and the Kyodo, Français and Deutsche Press Associations.

Looking to the Future

The Trustees top priority remains the acquisition of new premises and will continue to actively seek partnership funding from grant-in-aid sources and from local concerns over the coming year.

Response to our appeal for acquisition of a dinosaur fossil from the United States and for a seismograph for the Bangladesh Earthquake Monitoring Station in Chittagong has been disappointing and will continue to run for a further year.

Our library holdings will be audited and reviewed in the coming year to identify whether any major gaps exist in our holdings and if so, to develop an action plan to bring them up to date.

Notes to the Accounts

1. Museum Expenditure

As a non profit making organisation, the Museum aims to spend the minimum possible on administration and overheads so that funds can be channelled into curation of the collection and the acquisition of display equipment and new specimens.

2. Tangible fixed assets and depreciation

Fixed assets at 31st March 2004 are stated at the lower of (a) cost, less provision for depreciation - if originally purchased by the Museum, or (b) net realisable value, less provision for depreciation - if the asset was originally donated free of charge.

Depreciation is provided on a straight line basis, and is calculated on historical amounts, after providing for any permanent diminution in value. The period of depreciation being the estimated life of the asset subject to the maxima shown below and commencing when the capital expenditure was incurred or on acquisition of the asset by donation.

Type of asset	Maximum period
Computer equipment	10 years
Laboratory and display equipment	20-40 years

Estimated lives and residual values of individual items are reviewed periodically and amended when circumstances change. Asset values shown represent the estimated replacement cost of the collection with specimens of similar quality and size.

3. Disposals

No specimen in the collection is considered to be a disposable asset - the Museum's charter provides strict safeguards and restrictions on disposals of the specimens themselves.

The nominal amount shown for disposals is an assessment of the value of plants lost through die-off from the Museum's Botanical Department together with the write-off of an electrical greenhouse heater beyond economical repair.

4. Interest Receivable

Interest is received gross of tax each April 5th.

5. Prior Year Adjustments

The entry this year is to account for the value of display cabinets omitted in error from the 2002/2003 report and account.

Balance Sheet

Position as at 31st March 2004

EXPENDITURE
Acquisitions	827.95	475.58
Purchase of Fixed Assets	179.82	74.90
Operating Costs	437.10	559.82
TOTAL	1444.87	1166.56

BALANCE

767.84

757.74

WORKING CAPITAL
Interest Received	0.01	0.00
Cash in Hand	61.95	1.85
Stock in Hand	705.88	705.88
TOTAL	767.84	757.74

STATEMENT OF ASSETS

Position as at 31st March 2004

OPENING BALANCE	3066.60	3365.34
plus Acquisitions	480.91	121.90
Prior Year Adj.	208.26	0.00
less Disposals	30.78	38.34
less Depreciation	435.74	382.30
CLOSING BALANCE	3289.26	3066.60

Working Capital	767.84	757.74
Value of Collection	13815.18	12508.34
Current Assets	23.63	25.18
Fixed Assets	3289.26	3066.60
TOTAL ASSETS	17895.91	16357.86