York is one of our favorite places in Great Britain to visit and now its already wonderful Yorkshire Museum has reopened after a £2 million facelift that lasted almost a year. The refurbishment is the biggest since the museum first opened its doors in 1830 and was entitled ‘Let the Light In’ due to opening of long shuttered windows and pulling down of partition walls.
The new exhibition spaces are split into the three times period that most define York’s past. From the museum:
Roman York – Meet the people of the Empire. The power of the Roman Empire will be explored through the museum’s internationally significant collection of Roman artifacts and, thanks to fascinating new research, the true picture of life in Roman York will be brought to life with examples of the people that lives there, such as the Ivory Bangle Lady from North Africa.
Medieval York: The Power and the Glory. From a bustling Anglian city and royal Viking capital to the second city of the kingdom wielding immense ecclesiastical power, York was a microcosm of the vibrant medieval world. The colour, music, romance and spirituality of the medieval period will come to life in this exhibition, among the unique ruins of St Mary’s Abbey. The gallery will also feature some of the museum’s greatest treasures, such as the Middleham Jewel, the York Helmet and the Vale of York Viking Hoard.
Extinct: A way of life. Discover why so many species have disappeared through time – and what took their place – in this family friendly exhibition that takes you on a rollercoaster ride through ever changing landscape of earth’s natural history. Enter a world of wonderful wild beasts, towering two metre birds and enormous sea monsters as you ponder what caused the five great extinctions and wonder if we are in the sixth. Literally walk in the footsteps of dinosaurs and enter the aquarium style gallery that is home to the huge, magnificent creatures that lived here when Yorkshire was under the sea.
Yorkshire Museum
Exhibition Square, York, North Yorkshire YO1 7EW, United Kingdom – 01904 687 687
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