There are several museums in York that are worth seeing. At the top of that list (at least for us) is the Yorkshire Museum in the middle of the Museum Gardens. In 1828, the Yorkshire Philosophical Society (which founded the museum), was given a Royal Grant of ten acres formerly belonging to St. Mary's Abbey. This museum, constructed in the Greek Revival style, is the longest established museum in England. Its permanent collections of nearly 1.5 million specimens explores the story of the area from pre-history, through the Ice Age, Roman, Anglican, and Viking times, up through medieval York. Amongst its exhibits are the finest example of an Anglican helmet ever discovered, the Middleham Jewel (ca. 1400) found at the childhood home of Richard III, and the medieval Cawood Sword (12th century). Our apartment was just five minutes from this museum and we passed it everyday during our exploration of York. So, it was easy for us to visit its collections, and did we ever have a great time going through this delightful museum. The Yorkshire Museum sits on ten acres of the Museum Gardens, that were once part of St. Mary's Abbbey . Built in 1832, the York Observatory, on the grounds of the Museum Gardens, is the oldest working observatory in Yorkshire. The foyer of the museum is "guarded by this first century Roman Soldier statue. Looking down from the balcony, we can look over the whole Roman Empire. These Medieval statuses were found amongst the ruins of St. Mary's Abbey next to the museum. "Up close and personal." This room is dedicated to specimens of St. Mary's Abbey. One of the most delightful parts of the museum is this Reading Library. The first, and finest, Anglican helmet ever discovered, is housed in the Yorkshire Museum. Dating to the 12th century, the Cawood Sword is the best preserved specimen of a type M pommel sword. It was found in the river Ouse. The Middleham Jewel (dating to 1400), was found near Middleham Castle in North Yorkshire, the childhood home of Richard III.
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Carl and Lorraine Aveni are two retirees planning on traveling through Europe for at least one year.
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