Craven Museum & Gallery facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

Craven Museum & Gallery

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Established	1928
Location	Skipton, Town Hall, High Street, North Yorkshire, BD23 1AH, England
Type	Local museum
Nearest parking	Behind Town Hall (pay)

The Craven Museum & Gallery is a cool place to visit in Skipton, North Yorkshire, England. It's located right inside Skipton Town Hall. This museum has a huge collection of local artefacts. These items show what life was like in the Craven area. You can see things from prehistoric times all the way up to today. The museum got a big makeover with help from the National Lottery Heritage Fund. It reopened its doors on June 21, 2021.

Discovering the Museum's History

How the Museum Started

The Craven Museum first opened on October 6, 1928. It was started by local groups like the Craven Naturalists and Scientific Association. They wanted a place to keep important collections. These included items found in the Elbolton Cave and a collection of plants called a Herbarium. Sir Henry Alexander Miers, a famous museum expert, officially opened it. The museum was first in a room at Skipton library. It had its own team and people in charge.

Growing Bigger and Better

In 1934, the local council, called the Skipton Urban District Council, took over the museum. This helped the museum grow and collect even more objects. For over 30 years, the collection kept getting bigger. On April 21, 1969, a group called the Friends of the Craven Museum was formed. Arthur Raistrick was their leader. Soon, hundreds of people joined this group. They were always looking for new things to add to the museum.

The Role of Amazing Volunteers

Volunteers were super important to the museum. They helped move heavy objects, like a big ore crusher from Derbyshire. This crusher was fixed up and shown to the public in 1970. Volunteers also helped label exhibits and clean displays. They even did research on the items. The Friends group also paid for digs to find old things. One famous dig was at a tile-making kiln in Rylstone. On December 11, 1973, the museum moved to its current home in Skipton Town Hall.

Modern Updates and Exhibitions

In 2005, a special exhibition gallery was opened. This gallery hosts different temporary shows every year. In 2015, the museum got support for a big £2.1 million project. This project, called "Stories and Treasures of Street and Dale," aimed to make the museum even better. The museum closed in September 2018 for these improvements. It then reopened in June 2021, ready for new visitors.

Exploring the Museum's Collections

The museum has many different objects. They come from prehistoric times in Craven up to today. You can even find items from all over the world, like Italy and Egypt. The collections include old clothes, photos, farm tools, and even recorded stories from local people.

Biology Collection

The biology collection is mostly made up of items from naturalists. It includes a 19th-century bird egg collection. There are also collections of insects, plants, and animals.

Geology Collection

The geology collection has many different rocks, minerals, and fossils. Most of these were collected by local people. Many rocks and minerals, like limestone, are from the Craven area. You can see fossils of ammonites, coral, and clams. There's even a backbone from an Ichthyosaurus, which was a sea reptile!

Archaeology Collection

The archaeology collection covers a huge time period. It goes from the Paleolithic (Old Stone Age) to after the medieval period. Many items were found in local digs. You can see cave finds from Elbolton and Victoria caves. There are also Roman items and an old coin collection from the time of Queen Elizabeth I.

Social History Collection

This collection shows what daily life was like in Craven. You can see old home appliances and a collection of toys. There are exhibits about farming and lead mining. You can also learn about famous people from Craven. These include the Calendar Girls and Thomas Spencer, who helped start Marks and Spencer.

Oral History Collection

For over 40 years, the museum has recorded interviews with local people. This helps them learn more about Craven's history. There are 70 tapes covering topics like life during the World Wars. You can also hear about working on the Leeds and Liverpool Canal and farming.

Art Collection

The museum has a cool collection of paintings, prints, and sculptures. Many of these were made by local artists. Most of the paintings show local scenes or people, like Lady Anne Clifford of Skipton Castle. A big part of the art collection is from Clement Roebuck, a famous art collector.

Costumes Collection

There's a collection of old clothes and accessories. Many of these are always on display. You can see dresses from the 1700s to the 1940s. There are also uniforms from the Skipton Brass Band and the Home Guard. Accessories include old glasses and handbags.

Amazing Items You Must See

Shakespeare's First Folio

The museum has a very special book: an incomplete copy of Shakespeare's First Folio. This book contains many of Shakespeare's plays. It was thought to be a different edition for a long time. But recently, an expert named Anthony James West identified it correctly. This folio is one of only four on display anywhere in the world!

The Flasby Sword

An Iron Age Celtic sword was found on the nearby Flasby moor. It's made of iron, and its cover (scabbard) is copper. The scabbard has cool Celtic designs. Because it was so well preserved, people think it might have been placed in a pit as a special offering.

Frankish Gold Coin

The museum has a gold coin called a tremissis. It's from the Frankish time, between 580 AD and 630 AD. It was found in the 1970s when the Holy Trinity Church in Skipton was being built. There's a small hole in the coin, which means it might have been worn as a pendant (a piece of jewelry).

Mouseman Collection

You can see 17 objects made by the famous carver Robert Thompson. He was known as 'Mouseman' because he always carved a small mouse into his furniture. The museum got this collection from the son of a big 'Mouseman' fan.

Amethyst Intaglio

A Roman engraved amethyst intaglio was found in nearby Hellifield. It was given to the museum in 1934. The carving shows a man, possibly Odysseus, giving wine to the cyclops Polyphemus. This happens right before Odysseus blinds him in the famous story!

Special Exhibitions

The museum's gallery is next to the Skipton Tourist Information Centre. It hosts many different exhibitions. Past shows have included one about the 800th anniversary of the Magna Carta. There was also an exhibit about the Tour de France when it came to Yorkshire. The gallery also has regular shows like Craven Open, which features local artists. Another is Yarndale, a yearly festival in Skipton about all things yarn.

In 2014, the museum lent its Shakespeare First Folio to the Yorkshire Museum. In return, they got to display two Iron Age gold bracelets. These bracelets are the oldest gold items ever found in Yorkshire!

Planning Your Visit

The Craven Museum & Gallery is located inside Skipton Town Hall. You can find it on Skipton High Street. It's about a five-minute walk from the Skipton bus station. If you're coming by train, it's about a twenty-minute walk from Skipton railway station.

Awards and Recognition

The museum has won some really cool awards! It received the Kids in Museums Family Friendly Museum award. It also won the Best Accessible Museum award in 2023. Plus, Craven Museum was one of five museums chosen for the Art Fund Museum of the Year 2024 award. This shows how special and well-loved the museum is!