Yorkshire Museum of Farming facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Yorkshire Museum of Farming

Main entrance area
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Established	1982 (1982)
Location	Murton Park, York, England
Type	Farming Museum, Living History Centre

The Yorkshire Museum of Farming is a fun place to learn about farming history. It is located at Murton Park near York in England. The museum covers about 14 acres (about 5.7 hectares) of grassy fields. It is the only museum in the area that focuses just on farming. In 2010, the museum received a special award for being a great place to visit.

The museum has many old tools and machines that show how farming has changed over time. You can also see everyday items and papers that tell about life in the countryside. The museum often holds special events about farming and rural life. There is also a play area for kids and a cafe where you can get a snack.

The museum site is also home to the last part of the Derwent Valley Light Railway. This old railway's history is also kept at the museum.

The museum shares its space with the Danelaw Centre for Living History. This centre lets you experience history firsthand! You can visit a pretend Roman fort called Brigantium. It's like an outdoor classroom for up to 65 children. There are also buildings that look like they are from the Tudor and Viking times. You can even see a Dark Age village and learn how people farmed hundreds of years ago.

History of the Museum

The Yorkshire Museum of Farming first opened its doors in 1982. It was created to store a growing collection of farm machines. These machines were given by different farms from North and East Yorkshire. They were first collected by the East Yorkshire Farm Machinery Preservation Society.

The museum's main goal is to show how farming became more mechanical in the 1800s and 1900s. You can see many different items spread across two main areas. These are called the Four Seasons Gallery and the Livestock Gallery. The museum also keeps some rare types of farm animals. One special animal is 'Jeffrey', a Toggenburg goat. He became a mascot for the RAF 609 (West Riding) squadron in 2010!

Four Seasons Gallery

The Four Seasons Gallery shows what farming is like throughout the year. It explains the different jobs and tools used in spring, summer, autumn, and winter. In 2013, a new exhibit opened here. It is called Feeding the Nation: A Celebration of the Women's Land Army. This exhibit is on the top floor of the Four Seasons Building. It was made possible with money from the Heritage Lottery Fund. The exhibit shows many items from the museum's Land Army collection. You can also listen to interviews with women who were part of the Land Army. There are even old films to watch.

Livestock Gallery

The Livestock building teaches you about raising and farming different kinds of animals. This area also has a display of items from James Herriot's (Alf Wight) old animal doctor's office.

Farming Families Project

First showing of film to farmers interviewed

Between 2007 and 2008, the museum worked on a special project. They interviewed many different farming families. This project created a video display that shows various types of farms from around Yorkshire. You can learn about farms that raise dairy cows, sheep, or pigs. You can also see farms that grow crops, both organic and those using special chemicals. The project also included an artificial inseminator and some small farms that grow just enough food for themselves. A new room was built to show these videos.

Derwent Valley Light Railway

A train on the Derwent Valley Light Railway

The museum is built on the old path of the Derwent Valley Light Railway. This was a private railway that ran from Layerthorpe, near York, to Cliffe Common near Selby. The railway closed in 1981. However, a small part of it has been fixed up and is now part of the museum. It opened in 1993. The museum even has an old station building from Wheldrake. There is about 0.75 miles (1.2 kilometers) of track that runs along the original path towards York.

Images for kids

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  Front display area in main barn

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  Rear display area in main barn

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  Middle display area in main barn