The museum was founded in 1893 by Herbert Balch, a man so driven by curiosity about our world that he became a pioneer caver, as well as a naturalist, geologist and archaeologist. He explored the caves of the Mendip hills and excavated prehistoric sites such as Wookey Hole, amassing a collection of minerals, fossils and artefacts. The museum also houses some of the statues from the famed West Front of Wells Cathedral, and a collection of Georgian samplers.