Fringe Zoology at the Old Operating Theatre and Herb Garret is an exhibition containing part of Thomas Merrylin’s collection. Thomas Merrylin is a fictional character created by Alex CF, Alex has gone to great and amazing detail in building his character up and this is how the story goes:
“Thomas Theodore Merrylin was born in 1782 in Hellingshire, Northern England. He was the son of a rich aristocrat and biologist, Edward Merrylin, and would eventually follow in his fathers footsteps of fringe naturalism. His mother had died in childbirth and he was raised by his dutiful father, until Edwards death at the age of 76. Thomas would become introverted and spend the majority of his life in seclusion, traveling extensively to collect bizarre specimens of species that were yet to be cataloged by reputable zoologists and naturalists. Amongst various anomalies attributed to his life, the most peculiar is his lifespan. At aged 80, he still resembled a 40 year old man, this being remarked upon perhaps more than his incredible collection … his collection was condemned as a fraud and his life put under intense scrutiny… He disappeared back into obscurity. He was presumed dead around the turn of the century, until in 1942 a man purporting to be Merrylin donated a building to a London Orphanage with the proviso that the basement never be unsealed. The man could be no older than 45, so was presumed to be a relative of Thomas. After this event, he was never heard of again.
In 2006, the basement was uncovered during a planned demolition of the building. Within, hundreds of large crates, filled with thousands of specimens, artifacts and diaries were found. It was dubbed the Merrylin Cryptid Collection, its mere existence would challenge the established scientific community if proven authentic.” – Read more at Alex’s website.
It is these artifacts that are on display at The Old Operating Theatre, there is extradordinary detail in every object from the dragon’s head to the remains of vampires and fairies. These exhibits are such that they fit perfectly into the museum with many visitors not realising that they are temporary. This exhibition is a must and I will look forward to more from this artist…
Here are a few of my photographs: