Craven Museum & Gallery

Last updated

Craven Museum & Gallery
Foyer landscape.jpg
North Yorkshire UK location map (2023).svg
Red pog.svg
Location of Craven Museum
Established1928
LocationSkipton, Town Hall, High Street, North Yorkshire, BD23 1AH, England
Coordinates 53°57′42″N2°00′57″W / 53.961663°N 2.015883°W / 53.961663; -2.015883
Type Local museum
Nearest parkingBehind Town Hall (pay)
Website Craven Museum

Craven Museum & Gallery is a museum located in the town of Skipton, North Yorkshire, England, in Skipton Town Hall. The museum holds a collection of local artefacts that depict life in Craven from the prehistoric times to the modern day. On 21 June 2021, the museum reopened after a National Lottery Heritage Funded redevelopment project. [1]

Contents

History

The museum was founded on 6 October 1928 by members of local groups such as the Craven Naturalists and Scientific Association, Skipton Mechanics' Institute, Friends Adult School, and the Workers' Educational Association to house a number of existing collections, including the finds from the Elbolton Cave excavations, the Craven Herbarium and Richard Tiddeman's reef knoll collection. [2] [3] It was opened by Sir Henry Alexander Miers, president of the museum's association. The museum was located in a room in Skipton library and had its own committee and trustees, with some members being local figureheads such as Mr J. Dufty, a master at the local grammar school. [2] [4]

In 1934, to ensure the survival of the museum and to allow its growth, responsibility for its management was transferred to Skipton Urban District Council. [2] The museum continued to gather more objects for its collection and increased in size, which continued for over 30 years. [2] On 21 April 1969, the Friends of the Craven Museum was established with Arthur Raistrick as its chair. [5] [6] Within months, it had hundreds of members.[ citation needed ] The Friends of the Craven Museum were on the constant lookout for anything that could be added to the museum's collection. [5]

Volunteers played a vital part in the museum, especially when it came to transporting heavier objects to the museum, such as a Derbyshire ore crusher. The ore crusher was restored and unveiled to the public in 1970. [2] Volunteers also did other tasks such as labelling exhibits, carrying out research on the collection, and cleaning displays. The Friends also funded excavations; the most notable being a tilery kiln in nearby Rylstone. [2] On 11 December 1973, the museum was officially moved across the road to its current location in Skipton Town Hall. [7] [8]

In 2005 an exhibitions gallery was opened which hosts a variety of temporary exhibitions every year. In 2015 the museum received initial support for a £2.1 million redevelopment project called "Stories and Treasures of street and dale", which aims to update the museum's facilities. [9] [10]

The museum closed in September 2018 for refurbishment, and it reopened in June 2021. [11]

Collections

The museum has a variety of objects from prehistoric Craven to the modern day. Objects come from all over the world, ranging from Italy to Egypt. Objects range from costumes, photographs, agricultural tools, naturalist collections and an oral history collection. [12] [13]

Biology

The museum's biology collection consists mainly of the collection of naturalists and enthusiast collectors. Collections include the Colonel Tottie 19th century bird egg collection, the entomology collection, the botany collection and the zoology collection. [14]

Geology

The geology collection is made up of a variety of rocks, minerals and fossils, most of which were collected by local collector Welbury Wilkinson Holgate and Dr Arthur Raistrick. [14] Many of the rocks and minerals are from the Craven area, like limestone. Fossils in the collection range from ammonites, coral, bivalves, to the vertebrae of an Ichthyosaurus. [14] [15]

Archaeology

The archaeology collection ranges from the Paleolithic to the post-medieval period. Many items have been found in local excavations. Collections include cave finds from the nearby Elbolton and Victoria caves, a lithics collection, finds from Doggerbank, Roman finds from nearby Kirk Sink Villa and from the Sunderland collection, and an Elizabethan coin hoard. [16] [17] [18]

Social History

The museum has a collection of artefacts associated with social history in Craven. The artefacts cover homelife with a display of domestic appliances, childhood with a collection of toys; working life with exhibits on agriculture, lead mining, and notable people from Craven, such as the Calendar girls, the co-founder of Marks and Spencer, Thomas Spencer and Thomas Cresap, who became a pioneer in America. [19] [20] [21]

Oral History

Over the last four decades, the museum has interviewed local people to find out more about the history of the Craven area. There are 70 tapes overall, covering topics such as life during the World Wars, working on the Leeds and Liverpool Canal, and farming. [22]

Art

The museum has an eclectic collection of oil and watercolour paintings, prints, textiles and sculptures, many made by local artists such as Reginald Arthur Smith, Kenneth Holmes, and William Shuttleworth. [23] [24] [25] The majority of the paintings feature local scenery or people such as Lady Anne Clifford of Skipton Castle. [26] A large portion of the art collection is made up of the famous Roebuck collection belonging to art collector Clement Roebuck. [27] [28]

Costumes

There is a collection of costumes and accessories in the museum, many of which are on permanent display. [29] These include dresses from the 18th century up to contemporary pieces like 1940s evening dresses, uniforms from the Skipton Brass Band and the Home Guard, and accessories include spectacles and ladies' handbags. [29]

Notable collections

First Folio

An incomplete copy of Shakespeare's First Folio owned by a local businessman and donated by his daughter in the 1930s was misidentified as a second folio until recently, when it was identified by Anthony James West. [30] The folio is one of only four on display in the world. [31]

The Flasby Sword

An Iron Age Celtic sword was found on the nearby Flasby moor. By 1880, it was owned by Captain Preston of Flasby Hall. The sword was eventually donated to the museum. The sword is made of iron and the scabbard of copper. It is lined with wood with typical Celtic decorations on it. [32] Because of how well it was preserved, it is believed that the sword was thrown into a pit as a ritual offering. [33]

Merovingian Frankish Gold Tremissis

The museum holds a tremissis, a Frankish gold coin, that dates from 580 AD to 630AD. It was found in the 1970s when the Holy Trinity Church in Skipton was undergoing construction. [34] A small hole near the edge of the coin suggests it may have been worn as a pendant. [34]

Mouseman Collection

The museum holds a collection of 17 objects made by the famous carver Robert Thompson, otherwise known as 'Mouseman'. The museum received the collection from the son of Kenneth Hodgson, who was an avid collector of 'Mouseman' furniture. [35]

Roebuck Collection

145 pieces of art given to the museum by millionaire Clement Roebuck in 1988. [36] Roebuck was an avid art collector and sat on the selection committee for the Huddersfield art gallery. He would often acquire pieces rejected by the committee. In his later life, he moved to Starbotton in Upper Wharfedale and then Langbar near Bolton Abbey. [37]

Amethyst Intaglio

A Roman engraved amethyst intaglio was found in the nearby Hellifield and donated to the museum in 1934. [38] [39] The carving presents a man, possibly Odysseus, offering wine to the cyclops Polyphemus before blinding him. [38]

Exhibitions

The gallery, which is located next to the Skipton Tourist Information Centre, puts on a variety of exhibitions. [40] [41] Past exhibitions include the 800th anniversary Magna Carta exhibition, SELFA Champions! exhibit, and Bike, Legs, Action!. This is an exhibition about the Tour De France and its arrival to Yorkshire. [42] [43] [44] The gallery is also home to recurring exhibitions like Craven Open, which displays the work of local artists, and Yarndale, a yearly festival in Skipton about all things Yarn related. [45] [46]

In 2014, the museum temporarily loaned its Shakespeare first folio to the Yorkshire Museum in exchange for two Iron Age gold bracelets dating from around 100 BC. The bracelets are the oldest example of gold found in Yorkshire. [47] [48] [49]

Visitor information

Craven Museum & Gallery is inside Skipton Town Hall, which is located on Skipton High Street. It is approximately a five-minute walk away from the Skipton bus station and a twenty-minute walk from the Skipton railway station. [50] [51]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Science Museum, London</span> Museum in Kensington, London

The Science Museum is a major museum on Exhibition Road in South Kensington, London. It was founded in 1857 and is one of the city's major tourist attractions, attracting 3.3 million visitors annually in 2019.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">National Science and Media Museum</span> Part of the national Science Museum Group in the UK

The National Science and Media Museum, located in Bradford, West Yorkshire, is part of the national Science Museum Group in the UK. The museum has seven floors of galleries with permanent exhibitions focusing on photography, television, animation, videogaming, the Internet and the scientific principles behind light and colour. It also hosts temporary exhibitions and maintains a collection of 3.5 million pieces in its research facility.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Skipton</span> Town and civil parish in North Yorkshire, England

Skipton is a market town and civil parish in North Yorkshire, England. Historically in the East Division of Staincliffe Wapentake in the West Riding of Yorkshire, it is on the River Aire and the Leeds and Liverpool Canal to the south of the Yorkshire Dales. It is situated 27 miles (43 km) north-west of Leeds and 38 miles (61 km) west of York. At the 2021 Census, the population was 14,623. The town has been listed as one of the best and happiest places to live in the UK.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Craven District</span> Former local government district in North Yorkshire, England

Craven was a non-metropolitan district in the west of North Yorkshire, centred on the market town of Skipton. The name Craven is much older than the modern district and encompassed a larger area. This history is also reflected in the way the term is still commonly used, such as by the Church of England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Barnoldswick</span> Town and civil parish in Lancashire, England

Barnoldswick is a market town and civil parish in the Borough of Pendle, Lancashire, England. It lies within the boundaries of the historic West Riding of Yorkshire. It is situated 30 miles (48 km) from Leeds; nearby towns include Skipton to the east, Clitheroe to the west, Burnley to the south and Keighley to the east-south-east. The civil parish has a population of 10,752.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Settle, North Yorkshire</span> Market town and civil parish in North Yorkshire, England

Settle is a market town and civil parish in North Yorkshire, England. Historically in the West Riding of Yorkshire, the town had a population of 2,421 in the 2001 census, increasing to 2,564 at the 2011 census.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grassington</span> Village and civil parish in North Yorkshire, England

Grassington is a village and civil parish in North Yorkshire, England. The population of the parish at the 2011 Census was 1,126. Historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, and now in the lieutenancy area of North Yorkshire, the village is situated in Wharfedale, about 8 miles (10 km) north-west from Bolton Abbey, and is surrounded by limestone scenery. Nearby villages include Linton, Threshfield, Hebden, Conistone and Kilnsey.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Skipton and Ripon (UK Parliament constituency)</span> Parliamentary constituency in the United Kingdom, 1983 onwards

Skipton and Ripon is a constituency in North Yorkshire represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2010 by Julian Smith, a Conservative.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Earby</span> Town and civil parish in Lancashire, England

Earby is a town and civil parish within the Borough of Pendle, Lancashire, England. Although within the boundaries of the historic West Riding of Yorkshire, Earby has been administered by Lancashire County Council since 1974 and regularly celebrates its Yorkshire roots. It is 5 miles (8 km) north of Colne, 7 miles (11.3 km) south-west of Skipton, and 11 miles (17.7 km) north-east of Burnley. The parish had a population of 4,538 recorded in the 2011 census,

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lothersdale</span> Village and civil parish in North Yorkshire, England

Lothersdale is a small village and civil parish in the former Craven district of North Yorkshire, England, near Skipton and within the triangle formed by Skipton, Cross Hills and Colne. It is a small community of about 200 houses but local amenities include a park, church, chapel, pub, village hall, clubhouse and primary school. The Pennine Way runs through it.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Robert Thompson (designer)</span> British furniture designer (1876–1955)

Robert (Mouseman) Thompson, also known as 'Mousey' Thompson, was a British furniture maker. He was born and lived in Kilburn, North Yorkshire, England, where he set up a business manufacturing oak furniture, which featured a carved mouse on almost every piece.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cracoe</span> Village in North Yorkshire, England

Cracoe is a small village and civil parish in the Craven district of North Yorkshire, England. It is situated near to Rylstone and about 6 miles south-west of Grassington. Cracoe has an estimated population of 160 residents, measured at 178 in the 2011 census. Cracoe is a village which is also situated near Rylstone beneath Barden Fell and the twin skyline landmarks of Rylstone Cross and Cracoe Pinnacle in the Yorkshire Dales.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hebden, North Yorkshire</span> Village and civil parish in North Yorkshire, England

Hebden is a village and civil parish in the Craven District of North Yorkshire, England, and one of four villages in the ecclesiastical parish of Linton. It lies near Grimwith Reservoir and Grassington, in Wharfedale in the Yorkshire Dales National Park. In 2011 it had a population of 246.

Arthur Raistrick was a British geologist, archaeologist, academic, and writer. He was born in a working class home in Saltaire, Yorkshire. He was a scholar in many related, and some unrelated, fields. He published some 330 articles, books, pamphlets and scholarly treatises.

The Skipton East Lancashire Rail Action Partnership (SELRAP) is a campaign that is looking to reopen the Skipton to Colne railway line, as part of connecting the Lancashire town of Colne to the North Yorkshire town of Skipton. The line between them had been closed in 1970.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yorkshire Museum</span> Grade I listed building in York, England

The Yorkshire Museum is a museum in York, England. It was opened in 1830, and has five permanent collections, covering biology, geology, archaeology, numismatics and astronomy.

The Craven Herald & Pioneer is a weekly newspaper covering the Craven area of North Yorkshire as well as part of the Pendle area of Lancashire. Until 29 October 2009 it remained one of only two weekly papers in the United Kingdom that continued to have a front page consisting wholly of advertisements. On 22 October 2009 it was announced that the edition on 29 October 2009 would be the last broadsheet edition with adverts on the front cover. From 5 November 2009 the format was changed to a tabloid size, or compact as the then-editor described it, with news on page one and the adverts moved to page two.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">York Museums Trust</span> Charity operating museums and galleries in the City of York, North Yorkshire, England

York Museums Trust (YMT) is the charity responsible for operating some key museums and galleries in York, England. The trust was founded in 2002 to run York's museums on behalf of the City of York Council. It has seen an increase in annual footfall of 254,000 to the venues since its foundation. In both 2016 and 2017, it saw its annual visitors numbers reach 500,000 people.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Flasby</span> Hamlet in North Yorkshire, England

Flasby is a hamlet in the Yorkshire Dales in North Yorkshire, England. It is one of the two settlements, with Winterburn, in the civil parish of Flasby with Winterburn, part of the Craven district. The population of the civil parish was estimated at 80 in 2012, measured at 207 in the 2011 Census.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Skipton Town Hall</span> Municipal building in Skipton, North Yorkshire, England

Skipton Town Hall is the town hall of Skipton, North Yorkshire. It is located on the town's High Street and is home to Craven Museum & Gallery as well as a Concert Hall with events and performance programme and Skipton Tourist Information Centre. Skipton Town Council also reside in the Victorian building, which is Grade II listed.

References

  1. "Skipton Town Hall set to reopen on June 21st". Craven District Council. Retrieved 14 July 2021.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Loyal friends who helped shape future of museum". Craven Herald & Pioneer. 3 October 2009. Retrieved 16 March 2016.
  3. Directory of Museums, Galleries and Buildings of Historic interest in the United Kingdom. Routledge. 1 March 2004. ISBN   9781135475451.
  4. "100 years on from the birth of a town library". Craven Herald & Pioneer. Retrieved 16 March 2016.
  5. 1 2 "Friends of Craven Museum". Craven Museum & Gallery. Archived from the original on 22 March 2016. Retrieved 16 March 2016.
  6. "Elizabeth and Arthur Raistrick". www.bradford.ac.uk. University of Bradford. Archived from the original on 21 March 2016. Retrieved 16 March 2016.
  7. "Skipton Town Hall". Craven District Council. Archived from the original on 23 March 2016. Retrieved 16 March 2016.
  8. "Plan Your Visit". Skipton Town Hall. Retrieved 19 June 2022.
  9. "£2.1 million redevelopment backed by Heritage Lottery Fund". www.cravenmuseum.org. Craven Museum & Gallery. Archived from the original on 10 March 2016. Retrieved 16 March 2016.
  10. "Stories and Treasures of Street and Dale". www.hlf.org.uk. Heritage Lottery Fund. Archived from the original on 6 January 2017. Retrieved 16 March 2016.
  11. Dixon, Rachel (4 June 2021). "Top 10 museum renovations and reopenings in England for 2021". The Guardian. Retrieved 14 December 2022.
  12. "About our collections". www.cravenmuseum.org. Craven Museum & Gallery. Archived from the original on 23 March 2016. Retrieved 17 March 2016.
  13. "Cornucopia". cornucopia.orangeleaf.com. Archived from the original on 24 September 2016. Retrieved 15 April 2016.
  14. 1 2 3 "The Natural World". www.cravenmuseum.org. Craven Museum & Gallery. Archived from the original on 22 April 2016. Retrieved 12 April 2016.
  15. Brooks, Benjamin (13 February 2012). "Skipton". benjamindbrooks.wordpress.com. Retrieved 15 April 2016.
  16. "BBC – A History of the World – Object : Neolithic Axe Head". www.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 15 April 2016.
  17. Authority, Yorkshire Dales National Park. "Out of Oblivion: A landscape through time". www.outofoblivion.org.uk. Retrieved 15 April 2016.
  18. sunbright57 (30 June 2012). "Kirk Sink, Gargrave, North Yorkshire". The Journal of Antiquities. Retrieved 15 April 2016.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  19. "Thomas Cresap". George Washington's Mount Vernon. Retrieved 9 September 2016.
  20. "Marks & Spencer's Yorkshire Roots – Featured Article". www.thegenealogist.co.uk. Retrieved 9 September 2016.
  21. "Marks & Spencer Timeline". marksintime.dbda.net. Archived from the original on 1 September 2016. Retrieved 9 September 2016.
  22. "Talking Treasure: Craven Museum & Gallery Interviewee search". Craven District Council. Craven District Council. 24 December 2013. Archived from the original on 15 September 2016. Retrieved 9 September 2016.
  23. "SMITH, Arthur Reginald – Not Just Hockney". 3 March 2015. Retrieved 9 September 2016.
  24. "Collection of 16 works by Arthur Reginald Smith by Arthur Reginald Smith". Art Fund. Retrieved 9 September 2016.
  25. "1951. K Holmes OBE ARCA 1951–52". www2.le.ac.uk. University of Leicester. Archived from the original on 16 September 2016. Retrieved 9 September 2016.
  26. "About art at the museum". www.cravenmuseum.org. Archived from the original on 9 September 2016. Retrieved 9 September 2016.
  27. "Roebuck collection". www.cravenmuseum.org. Archived from the original on 8 September 2016. Retrieved 9 September 2016.
  28. "Explore the Roebuck Collection in new exhibition at Skipton Town Hall". Craven District Council. June 2018. Retrieved 19 June 2022.
  29. 1 2 "Costume". www.cravenmuseum.org. Archived from the original on 27 August 2016. Retrieved 9 September 2016.
  30. The Shakespeare First Folio The history of the book Volume II A new worldwide census of first folios. Oxford University Press. 2001. p. 118. ISBN   978-0198187684 . Retrieved 17 March 2016.
  31. Tate, Lesley (19 November 2020). "A CRAVEN DIARY: Museum says it has 'no plans' to sell its Shakespeare First Folio after one sells in New York for a cool £7.6 million". Craven Herald. Retrieved 19 June 2022.
  32. "Iron Age sword and scabbard". www.out of oblivion.org.uk. Out of Oblivion. Retrieved 17 March 2016.
  33. "Iron Age". www.cravenmuseum.org. Craven Museum & Gallery. Archived from the original on 23 March 2016. Retrieved 17 March 2016.
  34. 1 2 "Merovingian Frankish Gold Tremissis". www.bbc.co.uk. BBC. Retrieved 17 March 2016.
  35. "Mouseman furniture added to collection". www.cravenmuseum.org. Archived from the original on 3 April 2016. Retrieved 21 March 2016.
  36. "History | Roebuck Homes Trust". roebuckhomestrust.co.uk. Retrieved 21 March 2016.
  37. Langan, Paul (11 July 2007). "'Rembrandt' among paintings in Ilkley collector's show". Ilkley Gazette. Retrieved 23 March 2016.
  38. 1 2 "BBC – A History of the World – Object : Amethyst Intaglio". www.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 23 March 2016.
  39. Alexander, Sue. "The Yorkshire Archaeological & Historical Society – YAJ 75". www.yas.org.uk. Archived from the original on 5 April 2016. Retrieved 23 March 2016.
  40. "Faith In Art". Cravenmuseum.org. Craven Museum & Gallery. Archived from the original on 31 March 2016. Retrieved 18 March 2016.
  41. "The God in all things- Yorkshire museum celebrate Islamic and Arabesque art". The Yorkshire Evening Post. 19 February 2016. Retrieved 18 March 2016.
  42. "Champions". www.cravenmuseum.org. Craven Museum & Gallery. Archived from the original on 3 April 2016. Retrieved 18 March 2016.
  43. "Bike, Legs, Action!". cravenmuseum.org. Craven Museum & Gallery. Archived from the original on 3 April 2016. Retrieved 18 March 2016.
  44. "Magna Carta". cravenmuseum.org. cravenmuseum. Archived from the original on 3 April 2016. Retrieved 18 March 2016.
  45. "Craven Open". cravenmuseum.org. Craven Museum & Gallery. Archived from the original on 4 April 2016. Retrieved 18 March 2016.
  46. "Yarndale". yarndale.co.uk. Yarndale. Retrieved 18 March 2016.
  47. "Yorkshire Gold". www.cravenmuseum.org. Archived from the original on 4 April 2016. Retrieved 23 March 2016.
  48. ""Most important" book in English Literature Comes to York | York Museums Trust". www.yorkmuseumstrust.org.uk. Retrieved 23 March 2016.
  49. Laycock, Mike (27 March 2014). "Shakespeare's First Folio goes on display at the Yorkshire Museum". The Yorkshire Post. Retrieved 23 March 2016.
  50. "Visitor information". www.cravenmuseum.org. Archived from the original on 4 April 2016. Retrieved 23 March 2016.
  51. "Craven Museum & Gallery Skipton". www.cravendc.gov.uk. Craven District Council. Archived from the original on 4 April 2016. Retrieved 23 March 2016.