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Following the recent government announcement, RAMM will be closed to the public from 31 December 2020 until further notice
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Echinoderms from the collection of Percy Sladen

Echinoderms in jars from the collection of Percy Sladen

Echinoderms (starfish and sea urchins)

Echinoderms are a group of invertebrates that includes starfish, sea urchins, feather stars, sand dollars and other related creatures. They only live in marine environments. The name ‘echinoderm’ means ‘spiny skin’ when translated from ancient Greek. These spines are particularly noticeable on live sea urchins. Once dead, they often lose their spines.

View RAMM’s collection in Sladen’s Study. Many specimens can also be found on Collections Explorer.

RAMM’s collection of Echinoderms

Most of RAMM’s starfish and sea urchins are from Percy Sladen‘s collection.

RAMM stores most of its echinoderm specimens in alcohol in cylindrical ‘ground glass’ jars. Some starfish are in rectangular ‘battery jars’. One side of the jar is very smooth and flat allowing a clear view of the attractive specimens inside.  RAMM’s collection also includes dry specimens in cardboard trays. Some specimens are small enough to fit inside a microscope slide.

In life, starfish and sea urchins have bright colours and also beautiful markings. Museum specimens often look dull in comparison because they lose their colour when preserved in alcohol or dried..

Thanks to Sladen our collection of echinoderms has attracted researchers from around the world. It is believed to be the largest and most comprehensive echinoderm collection outside the Natural History Museum, London.

Sladen and HMS Challenger

Percy Sladen had a particular interest in echinoderms. His knowledge of these attractive creatures brought him to the attention of Sir Charles Wyville Thompson – a Scottish scientist who was in charge of the Challenger expedition. This oceanographic survey and collecting expedition took place on HMS Challenger between 1872 and 1876. Accordingly, Thompson asked Sladen to identify and describe the enormous wealth of Echinoderm material brought back from the voyage.

Museums all over the world have specimens from HMS Challenger. A RAMM project has reunited them on a single website. Please explore HMS Challenger Collections.

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Terms & Conditions

RAMM Terms and Conditions

Website terms and conditions Links Photos, media and information Social media Ticket sales Children Venue hire terms Guided Group Visits, Guided School Activity and External Talk Bookings

Website terms and conditions

  1. These terms and conditions (Terms) apply to the entire contents of this website. Please read these Terms carefully before using this website. Using this website indicates that you accept these Terms. If you do not accept these Terms, please do not use this website.
  2. These Terms shall constitute an agreement between you and RAMM and shall set out the conditions upon which you may access the information available on this website
  3. We reserve the right to change these Terms, at any time and to notify you by posting an updated version of these Terms on this website, at which point they will become immediately effective
  4. Your continued use of this website after any changes referred to in clause 2 shall constitute your consent to such changes
  5. Access to this website may be suspended temporarily and without notice in the case of system failure, maintenance or repair, or for reasons beyond our control
  6. We reserve the right to, without notice, withdraw the availability of this website or any of its content and/or any of its functions, information or services
  7. We cannot guarantee uninterrupted and/or reliable access to this website and we make no guarantees whatsoever as to its operation, functionality or otherwise
  8. You are allowed to view, download and print out content from this website for personal use only in accordance with these Terms. All other copying whether electronic, hard copy or other format is prohibited and all other rights are reserved
  9. You shall only use this website in a manner that is consistent with these Terms and in such a way as to comply with all applicable laws and regulations and in particular, that you shall not (or not attempt to): seek unauthorised access to our network or computer system insert or knowingly or recklessly transmit or distribute a virus into our network and computer systems
  10. All copyright and all other intellectual property rights existing in this website (including, but not limited to, all design, text, graphics and the selection or arrangement thereof) are and remain our property
  11. The expression ‘copyright’ shall include the entire copyright, design right, rental right, right to authorise or prohibit lending and data right subsisting now or created at any time
  12. While we endeavour to ensure that the information contained on this website is accurate, complete and up-to-date, we make no representations or warranties, whether express or implied, as to the accuracy, completeness or fitness for purpose of such information
  13. We make no representations or warranties, whether express or implied, that this website or any software of any nature available on, downloaded or otherwise obtained from it, will be free from defects or viruses. Your use of this website is at your own risk
  14. We make no representations or warranties as to whether the information available on this website complies with the regulatory regime of countries from which the pages of this website may be accessed
  15. We may log your IP address (which indicates the location of your computer on the Internet) for the purpose of systems administration and troubleshooting.
  16. The failure by us to insist on any occasion upon performance of these Terms shall not thereby act as a waiver of such a breach or an acceptance of any variation of these Terms
  17. A person who is not a party to these Terms may not enforce any of its terms or conditions under the Contracts (Rights of Third Parties) Act 1999
  18. These Terms shall be governed by, construed and enforced in all respects in accordance with the Laws of England
  19. For Cookie information see the Cookies policy

Links

RAMM encourages links to its websites from other websites. Links should not imply endorsement of any third party products or services, any affiliation where none is agreed with third parties, or in any way seek to mislead website visitors. Links from RAMM websites to other websites are not an endorsement or sponsorship of those website’s content.

Photos, media and information

RAMM aims to ensure all information, photos, video and audio content on the website is accurate and up to date. Where photos of identifiable individuals are used permission has been granted for RAMM to use those images. If you believe any information or other content is:
  • Inappropriate;
  • Subject to third party copyright or an allied legal claim;
  • Infringes your copyright or other rights
Please contact RAMM using the contact form and your message will be acknowledged in ten working days

Social Media

As a museum of the world the Royal Albert Memorial Museum & Art Gallery (RAMM) wants to engage with a global public. Our social media presence is focused on helping people find out more about, discuss and engage with the museum’s collection, public programme and research. It is intended to encourage cross-cultural understanding, storytelling and inclusive, lively debate. The views expressed by our fans and followers are their own and may not represent the views of the Royal Albert Memorial Museum & Art Gallery, Exeter City Council,  employees, or affiliates. We love hearing from you and, to ensure that everyone has a positive experience, please don’t post any hateful, defamatory, or offensive comments, photos or videos. Anything seen as offensive to others will be removed or blocked. Spamming, inappropriate posting of private information, repeated posts and off-topic comments and posts may be removed or blocked. Our core office hours are between 10.00 and 17.00 GMT Monday to Friday, excluding UK national holidays. We aim to respond to all enquiries as quickly as possible, but please note that some enquiries can take longer to resolve. There is a lot of helpful information relating to the collections, exhibitions and general visiting information on the museum’s website. If you can’t find what you are looking for, and haven’t heard back from us, use the contact page.  Unfortunately, we are only able to respond to enquiries made in English. If you would like to pass on feedback or make a complaint about your visit to the museum, the best way to do this is to use the contact page RAMM's social media channels are linked to in the page footer

Ticket Sales

In buying ticket(s) from the Royal Albert Memorial Museum & Art Gallery (RAMM) you understand and agree that:
  • Once purchased, tickets cannot be refunded or exchanged except in the event of the event’s cancellation.  However if an event is fully booked, and there is a waiting list, we will try to resell your tickets.
  • Tickets purchased over the phone are available to be collected from the Garden Entrance Reception
  • Events and activities may on rare occasions be subject to change without notice, although we will always make our best efforts to inform people of any change.
  • Customers are advised to check their purchase upon receipt as mistakes cannot always be rectified.
  • Every effort will be made to admit latecomers as soon as a suitable break occurs, but admission is not guaranteed and is at the discretion of the Duty Manager
  • By purchasing, you agree that the tickets are for the personal use of you and your party only, and will not be resold or transferred.  Any resale or attempt to resell the tickets at a price higher than purchased will result in your tickets being cancelled without prior notification.
  • In the event of a cancellation by the organiser or by RAMM (i.e. a cancellation due to circumstances beyond RAMM’s control), RAMM will only refund the face value of the ticket.  RAMM will use every reasonable effort to contact purchasers either by phone or email (using the details provided at the time of purchase) and advise them to return the tickets.  Please note, however, it is the customer’s responsibility to check whether the event is going ahead at the scheduled date and time and RAMM cannot guarantee that they will inform the customer of any changes to the event date and time.
  • The right to admission to an event is reserved by RAMM, who may take health and safety, environmental and security concerns into account at their reasonable discretion.
  • RAMM would advise customers that no refunds will be offered to customers who are refused entry or ejected from the venue on account of late arrival, being (or appearing to be) under age when purchasing alcohol, abusive, threatening, engaging in drunken or other antisocial behaviour, carrying offensive weapons or illegal substances, or making unauthorised audio, video or photographic recordings.
  • We accept all major credit cards and debit cards except American Express.  When payment is take from your card the transaction on your card statement will say: Museums Exeter EX4 GBR.
  • Your tickets are valid only for the number of persons, the date and time stated on its surface.
  • During your visit you must retain your ticket safely for production on demand by our representatives.
  • The following definitions will apply to ticket sales from the Royal Albert Memorial Museum & Art Gallery:
    • Child 16 and under: A person aged from 0 years old to 16 years old (inclusive)
    • Young person aged 17-19: person aged from 17 years old to 19 years old (inclusive)
    • Adult: a person aged from 20-59 years old (inclusive)
    • Adult senior: a person aged 60 years or more
    • Unemployed person: person in receipt of benefits with appropriate documentation
    • Disabled person: a person is disabled under the Equality Act 2010 if they have a physical or mental impairment that has a ‘substantial’ and ‘long-term’ negative effect on their ability to do normal daily activities
    • Disabled person’s assistant: a person accompanying a disabled person
    • Student: an adult who shows valid photographic student ID
  • The contact details you supply will be retained within the till system and only used to contact you with regard to the tickets you have purchased unless you opt in to receiving communications from RAMM.  These details are not shared with any third parties without your consent.   Please see RAMM’s Privacy Policy for more details.
  • Online bookings will only remain held for 10 minutes without payment
  • Once your online booking has been confirmed an order confirmation will be sent to the email address you specified
  • On arrival at the event, the following will be required in order to validate an eticket purchased though the RAMM website:
    • Appropriate proof of entitlement to any discounted ticket rate (such as NUS card or benefit documents) for each person to be admitted with the ticket
    • A legible ticket or purchase confirmation
  • Any bar operating as part of a function may be closed by the duty manager at any time if any person using the bar shall behave in an unruly, disorderly or unseemly manner or it, in the exercise of his absolute discretion, he is of the opinion that such unruly, disorderly or unseemly behaviour may occur there.

Children

  • The Royal Albert Memorial Museum is suitable for children
  • All children under the age of 11 should be accompanied at all times by someone over the age of 16
  • Parents with young children are welcome in the Royal Albert Memorial Museum
  • Some temporary exhibitions may contain content not suitable for children.  These will be clearly advertised and signposted.

Venue Hire Terms Royal Albert Memorial Museum & Art Gallery (RAMM)

Conditions of Hire 1 (a) The council reserves the right to refuse any application for the use of the venue or any part thereof without stating its reason for such refusal. (b) Should the hirer cancel the booking within 28 days of the booking then 50% of the hire fee shall be forfeited. (c) The Council reserves the right to cancel bookings at any time by not less than 24 hours previous notice in writing to the Hirer, and the Hirer shall not be entitled to any compensation in consequence thereof or in connection therewith other than the refunding of appropriate hiring fees agreed. (d) The Council reserves the right to cancel at any time any booking of the said premises should the venue be closed in consequence of any public calamity, Royal demise, epidemic, fire, act of God, war (or its consequences), or is not available for the purpose of the hiring in consequence of the withdrawal or suspension of any license, or by reason of any work required to be done by the Licensing or other Authority, to be any reason of any combination or any strike or lock-out of any workman interfering with the efficient working of the premises, or from any cause whatsoever not within the control of, or not occasioned by default of, the council. (e) The Council’s decision upon the above matters shall be final and conclusive, and in such circumstances the Hirer shall not be entitled to any compensation in consequence thereof, but any charge for hire previously paid shall be refunded. (f) The Council reserves the right to terminate any hiring in the event of the hire committing a breach or failure to observe or perform any of the regulations or conditions. (g) The Hirer shall not without the previous consent in writing of the venue management, use the venue or any part thereof for any purposed or purposes other than those specified in the letter of hire confirmation without prior agreement of the venue manager (h) The Hirer shall not without the consent in writing of the venue management, sub-let the venue or any part thereof. (i) These conditions and regulations for the use of the Royal Albert Memorial Museum and any part thereof may be amended by the Council at any time, without notice and, if so amended, shall apply to all hirings taking place thereafter regardless of the date of such hirings. (j) The term ‘Hirer’ in these Conditions shall be taken to mean the person, persons, or body incorporate making application to hire the venue and any part thereof. (k) The term ‘Venue’ in these Conditions shall be taken to mean those parts of the venue booked as noted on the letter of hire confirmation. 2 (a) The Hirer shall be deemed to have notice of the Conditions attached to such licences and shall observe and perform such Conditions insofar as they affect the hiring. (b) The maximum capacity of the venue is 500 persons however a smaller maximum may be enforced depending on the particular event and set-up required. You should check this with the venue management before finalising your plans for an event. (c) Any bar operating as part of a function may be closed by the duty manager at any time if any person using the bar shall behave in an unruly, disorderly or unseemly manner or it, in the exercise of his absolute discretion, he is of the opinion that such unruly, disorderly or unseemly behaviour may occur there. (d) the Hirer shall comply with the Conditions endorsed on the Premises Licence, and shall not do or permit any act which may imperil the Licence held by the Council or be a nuisance or annoyance to any person and shall not commit or permit any breach of the statutory provision, or regulation for the time being in force relating to the licensed premises. 3 (a) The Council shall not be liable for any accident or injury sustained by the Hirer or any person present in the venue or any part thereof arising from the negligence or default of the Hirer and his servants or agents. The Hirer shall indemnify the Council against all costs, claims an demands in respect of any such accident or injury as aforesaid. A copy of the hirer’s public liability insurance certificate should be made available to the venue management on request. Such public liability should be in force to a limit of £5,000,000. (b) Where requested, the Hirer must provide a copy of a risk assessment for the event at least 7 days prior to the event being staged. (c) The venue shall be in the care and custody of the Hirer and the Council accepts no responsibility for any loss or damage sustained in respect of articles, wearing apparel or other property brought into or left in the venue or any party thereof by or on behalf of the Hirer or any other person. (d) The Hirer will be held responsible and accept full responsibility for any damage done to the venue or any part thereof, furniture, utensils or other property of the Council during the period of or otherwise arising out of the hire of the venue or any part thereof. All internal or external decorations shall be subject to the approval of the management. These should not be fixed to the fabric of the building or internal walls and should be removed to the satisfaction of the venue management. (e) No entertainment shall be held or given which will involve any increased risk of fire unless previously agreed by the venue management. (f) The Hirer agrees not to fix decorations or any other material to the walls, floors, stage, furniture or any other part of the premises. (g) Any liability or expenditure incurred by the Council on behalf of and at the request of the Hirer shall be discharged by the Hirer and the Council will not accept any responsibility in connection therewith. (h) Any caterers engaged to provide food or other refreshments as part of a function shall be taken from RAMM’s list of approved caterers. 4 (a) All seats and tables will be arranged with sufficient gangways in all respects to afford means of rapid exit and the Hirer shall keep such gangways, together with all passages and exits free from obstruction. (b) All doors giving egress from the venue or any part thereof shall be kept unfastened and unobstructed and immediately available for exit during the whole of such time as the venue or any part thereof is being used by the Hirer. (c) All enquiries regarding the facilities available, layout, times of entry etc should be made to the venue management. (d) The Hirer should not use, or permit to be used, any electrical equipment in the venue without the prior consent of the venue management. The Hirer must ensure that a competent person is in attendance during the operation of any additional special effects, stage lighting, additional venue lighting, audio visual equipment or any electrical equipment. (e) All arrangements in connection with the hiring of the premises or any part thereof shall be to the approval of the venue management and the Hirer shall comply with all reasonable requests made to him at any time in respect thereof. (f) Naked flames, including gas ovens and candles, shall not be used on the premises. Red wine, orange juice and other staining or sticky drinks are not to be provided or drunk on the premises without the former consent of the venue management. (g) Balloons cannot be used to decorate rooms or galleries without the express permission of the management due to the risk of them setting off the intruder alarm systems. 5 (a) The removal from the venue of all goods and/or equipment belonging to the Hirer, or brought into the venue in connection with the purpose, for which the venue was hired, shall be the responsibility of the Hirer. In the event of failure to discharge the foregoing responsibility within 14 days of an event, the Council may dispose of the goods and /or equipment as it thinks fit without being liable to the Hirer in respect thereof. The Hirer shall be liable to pay the Council’s costs of so doing save to the extent they are recouped by the Council from any sale of the goods and/or equipment. (b) If the Hirer shall continue his/her occupation of the venue or any part thereof after the designated period of hire for which he/she engaged the same, he/she shall pay such additional hire fees as may be deemed appropriate by the venue management. The Hirer shall also, in addition, be responsible for any loss or damage occasioned by the Council for exceeding the designated times. The designated times being those booked by the Hirer and stated in the letter of confirmation. 6 Sufficient staff shall be provided by the Hirer to supervise properly the function in the venue or any part thereof as the venue management shall, in their absolute discretion determine. 7 The Council’s officers and servants are not permitted, under any circumstances, to accept gratuities of any kind. 8 (a) The Hirer shall not use the venue or any part thereof for the performance in public of any dramatic or musical work or for the delivery in public of any lectures in which copyright subsists without the consent of the owner of the said copyright. The Hirer shall indemnify the Council against all sums of money, which the Council may have to pay by reason of any infringement of copyright occurring during the whole of such time as the venue or any part thereof is being used by the Hirer. (b) The Hirer shall comply with the provisions of the Children and Young Persons Act. 9 (a) The hirer shall not be entitled to grant sound, television broadcasting or filming rights without the prior written consent of the venue management. 10 (a) Smoking is not allowed in any part of the venue. 11(a) In accordance with RAMM's responsibility under the Data Protect Act 1998 the information you provide will be held in an Exeter City Council database for the purpose of fulfilling your venue hire arrangements.  It will not be used for any other purpose unless you opt in to receiving communications from RAMM. 12 (a) a 50% non-refundable deposit is required to be paid upon booking and the remaining 50% one month before the event.

Guided Group Visits, Guided School Activity and External Talk Bookings

(1)    The term ‘Organiser’ in these conditions shall be taken to mean the person, persons, or body incorporate making an application to book a guided visit/guided activities/external talk for any organisation or school (private or public) and any part thereof. (2)    The term ‘museum specialist’ may refer to a RAMM staff member or a volunteer. (3)    The term ‘Council’ refers to Exeter City Council. (4)    The term ‘Guided Group Visits’ includes all tours and talks attended at RAMM that are delivered by a museum specialist. (5)    The term ‘Guided School Activity’ includes all visits to RAMM by educational organisations that are guided by a museum specialist.  It does not include self-led school visits to the museum (6)    The term ‘External Talk’ refers to talks that are delivered by a museum specialist to a group of people at a venue that the Organiser has booked (7)    Payment
  • A 50% deposit is required to be paid upon booking where the overall charge is greater than £100
  • Should the organiser cancel the booking within 28 days of the date of the visit then 50% of the total fee shall be forfeited/requested.
  • Unless you are a school requesting payment via the issue of an invoice, the total cost/balance of payment for the booking must be made in full 14 days before the date of the visit.  Failure to do so may result in the booking being cancelled.
(8)    Cancellation
  • We reserve the right to cancel at any time any booking should the venue be closed in consequence of any public calamity, epidemic, fire, act of God, war (or its consequences), or the premises is not available for the purpose of the booking in consequence if any reason of any combination or any strike or lock-out of any workman interfering with the efficient working of the premises, or from any cause whatsoever not within the control of, or not occasioned by default of, the council
  •  The Council’s decision upon the above matters shall be final and conclusive, and in such circumstances the organiser shall not be entitled to any compensation as a consequence, but any charge for guided visits or guided school activities previously paid will be refunded
  • The Council reserves the right to terminate any booking in the event of the organiser or officers of the organisation/school committing a breach or failure to observe or perform any of the regulations or conditions
(9)    Capacity The maximum capacity of each guided group visit or guided school activity at RAMM will be stated and agreed on the booking provisional and confirmations email. Failure of the organiser to keep to the limit, depending on the number of additional participants, will result in one or a combination of:
  • The guided visit or guided school activity not going ahead
  • The additional participants being excluded from taking part
  • Agreement that the guided visit or guided school activity experience will be compromised in terms of the enjoyment/learning outcomes that will be derived by the participants
  • An additional charge will be requested.
(10) Public Liability Insurance The Council shall not be liable for any accident or injury sustained by the organiser or any person present in the venue or any part thereof arising from the negligence or default of the organiser and his organisation’s officers. Visits by the public to any Council premises is covered by £25,000,000 liability insurance [PDF]. (11) Risk Assessment Guidance for Guided School Visits Supervision One teacher must be QTS accredited (Qualified Teacher Status) and there must also be an additional teacher to circulate between groups. We recommend the following minimum ratio of adults to children
  • Children aged 0-4 1 adult: 3 children
  • Children aged 5-7 (KS1) 1 adult: 6 children
  • Children aged 8 -11 (KS2) 1 adult: 10 children
  • Children aged 12 and over (KS3 +) 1 adult: 15 children
Accompanying adults should not have babies/toddlers/buggies with them. First aid provision RAMM can provide basic first aid in the event of a minor accident. If any pupil has specific illnesses, however, e.g. epilepsy, diabetes, allergies etc., the school must bring an adult who has specialist knowledge and ability to treat these pupils. Minor injury
  • All pupils and adults should wear appropriate clothing and footwear and only walk in the museum to avoid slips and trips.
  • Allergic reaction to materials on open display
  • Teachers need to be aware of allergies amongst their children and if in any doubt about the possibility of allergic reaction to materials on open display then the risk to their children should be assessed in the familiarisation visit.
(12) Risk Assessment for External Talks
  • It is the responsibility of the organiser to ensure that the necessary risk assessments, licenses and health and safety checks are in place at the venue that they have booked for the museum specialist to attend to give a talk
  • The Council accepts no responsibility if the organiser fails to meet the above statutory requirements and in such instances the council will seek compensation should injury through negligence on the part of the organiser or the venue occur to the museum specialist whilst at the venue.
(13) Food and Drink - No eating is allowed in the galleries, but you are welcome to take a snack break in our grassy area by the garden entrance.  Lunch rooms are available to book, please request on making your booking. (14) The Organiser will be held responsible and accept full responsibility for any damage done to the premises or any part thereof, furniture, utensils or other property of the Council during the period of or otherwise arising out of the visit or any part thereof. (15) Any liability or expenditure incurred by the Council on behalf of or at the request of the Organiser shall be settled by the Organiser and the Council will not accept any responsibility. (16) Any liability of expenditure incurred by the Organiser in the hire of an external venue for the delivery of a talk by a museum specialist, shall remain the sole responsibility of the organiser to discharge and the Council will not accept any responsibility. (17) All enquiries regarding the facilities available, content, activity and times of entry etc should be made to [email protected]
  • We reserve the right to refuse additional requests that result in a significant change to the delivery and content of the guided group visit, external talk or guided school activity less than 28 days before the date of the visit
(18) Safeguarding
  • The Organiser and RAMM shall comply with the provisions of the Children and Young Persons Act and the Disclosure and Barring Service
  • Sufficient staff/officers of the organisation/school shall be provided to supervise the visit
  • All children under the age of 16 should be accompanied at all times by an adult over the age of 18
(19) The Council’s officers and volunteers are not permitted, under any circumstances, to accept gratuities of any kind. (20) In accordance with RAMM’s responsibility under the Data Protect Act 1998 and the General Data Protection Regulation the information you provide will be held in an Exeter City Council database for the purpose of fulfilling your booking arrangements.  It will not be used for any other purpose unless you opt in to receiving communications from RAMM.