Yorkshire Museum

Background

The Yorkshire Museum in York first opened in 1830 hosting objects curated by the Yorkshire Philosophical Society. The museum is built on the site of York Abbey, with the land being acquired through royal grant. Subsequently, you can still see remains of the Abbey in the basement of the building today. Additionally, built specifically for a museum it was one of the first of it’s kind in the country. The museum owns most important relics found in York since opening. Furthermore, Yorkshire Museum has kept it’s focus on archaeology and science relating to York and North Yorkshire to this day.

What’s to do at Yorkshire Museum?

You can browse many exhibits related to different periods and facets of archaeology and science, including:

• Star Carr: Life After Ice – focuses on life 11,000 years ago after the last ice age with artifacts from Mesolithic sites across the world.
• Mary Anning Rocks! – focuses on discoveries of renowned palaeontologist Mary Anning relating to Jurassic marine fossils, including a model of a Giant Ichthyosaur.
• Yorkshire’s Jurassic World – goes back 150 million years to a world of dinosaurs and sea monsters.
• Medieval York: Capital of the North – a permanent collection of Yorkshire artifacts detailing Anglian, Viking and Medieval periods. Also includes the history of York as England’s second city.
• Roman York – covers all things Roman Empire including York before the invasion, the cosmopolitan Roman Empire and life in Roman York.
• The Map That Changed The World – see William ‘Strata’ Smith’s geological map 200 years on from it’s creation.

Additionally, the museum has a gift shop you can visit and there is a vast picnic area in the Museum Gardens.

For more information about a visit to Yorkshire Museum you can go to their website.

Accessibility

You enter the Yorkshire Museum through the Museum Gardens which have a gently sloping, flat pathway to get around on. Additionally, there is a ramp at the museum’s entrance. Inside the museum there is three floors with a lift to all floors. However, there is no lift access to the reading room and library on the first floor. You can book to borrow a wheelchair whilst visiting by phoning up, but the museum only has one. Also, there is seating throughout your visit. Assistance dogs are permitted within the museum.

In terms of parking, there is no parking available at Yorkshire Museum. Drop off outside the museum is available with prior arrangement. However, the nearest parking is at Marygate carpark which is a 5 minute walk from the museum.

Noise levels can be high at Yorkshire Museum as it can be busy at times. Visit after 3pm on a weekday or on a Sunday as recommended if you require a quieter time. However, there is no dedicated quiet time to visit. Some areas of the museum have films playing. Staff can advise you on how to avoid these areas if required. Additionally, there are two pairs of ear defenders available at the reception that can be borrowed by visitors.

For visual interactivities, 80% have subtitles.

If you want more information on days out in York, visit the Eric Knows website.