The Yorkshire Museum is located within the Museum Gardens, a tranquil retreat from the hussle and bustle of the city centre.
The Museum Gardens is a gated parkland, open from dawn til dusk, situated between York Minster and the River Ouse. Its well worth a visit if you’re in York, as there is plenty to see; or its just a great place to take a picnic and watch the world go by!
The Yorkshire Museum
The original Yorkshire Museum was founded in 1830 by the Yorkshire Philosophical Society and was one of the first purpose-built museums in the country.
It recently underwent a £2 million refurbishment project, creating 5 new galleries showcasing some of Britain’s finest archaeological treasures as well as many rare animals, birds and fossils. These include:
- Roman Gallery
- Medieval Gallery
- Natural History Gallery dedicated to extinctions
- Cinema Gallery with an 8 minute film on the history of York
- Learning Gallery for both kids and adults
Find out more about the new look Yorkshire Museum and all its exhibits by clicking on this video below:
You may also be interested in the York Museums Trust Pass. This ticket covers entry to both the Yorkshire Museum and to the York Castle Museum, plus 10 per cent discount with all purchases over £5 in both museum shops, plus York Art Gallery shop.
Adult – £12; Concessions – £10; Children under 16 – FREE
Read more about the Yorkshire Museum.
York Museum Gardens
Even if you don’t make it to the Yorkshire Museum, it’s worth taking a walk around the grounds. The ‘Museum Gardens’ as they are known, were planted in the 1830’s when the Yorkshire Philosophical Society opened the Yorkshire Museum. They stretch from Kings Manor down to the River Ouse, and from Lendal to Marygate.
The York Museum Gardens really are a place for all seasons!
The Museum Gardens provide a green oasis of peace and tranquillity, straight across the road from the hustle and bustle of the city. Situated on the edge of the CBD, in between the river Ouse and the Minster, it’s a lovely place to walk around, whatever time of year.
In spring, the grounds are full of snowdrops and daffodils.
York is famous for its daffodils in March and April.
In summer the grassy banks down to the river are packed with sunbathers and picnics.
In autumn, the many different types of trees turn a wonderful golden brown.
In winter if it snows the gardens turn in to a winter-wonderland!
Guide to the Museum Gardens
As you pass through the eastern entrance gates on Museum St, immediately on your right is the last surviving Roman gatehouse from the legionary fortress.
The Multangular Tower is part of the Roman fortress built in approximately 70 A.D. to house the VIth legion.
Originally one of 8 towers built out of wood, it was rebuilt in stone in the 3rd century and is the best remaining segment of the Roman walls.
St Leonard’s Hospital
If you follow the path to the left of the Roman Tower, it will take you to remains of St Leonard’s Hospital which was the largest medieval hospital in England, caring for the ill and infirm of York.
The hospital also fed the poor and the condemned, providing meals for the prisoners in York Castle.
Remains of the hospital’s undercroft, next to York Central Library, can be accessed from here.
It contains some of the museum’s Roman and Medieval stonework collections.
St Mary’s Abbey ruins
The grand neo-Roman building at the centre of the park is the Yorkshire Museum. If you walk past the front of the museum you will see the ruins of St Mary’s Abbey. Built in 1088, they are all that remain of one of the wealthiest and most powerful Benedictine monasteries in England.
The abbey estate occupied the entire site of the Museum Gardens and the Abbot was one of the most powerful clergymen of his day, on a par with the Archbishop of York. King Henry VIII’s dissolution of the monasteries in the 16th century resulted in the end for the Abbey.
Over the years, it fell in to disrepair, with materials taken for construction of other buildings in area. Now all that remains are some of the outer walls and columns.
However you can still see the general outline of the building and where the nave was located, giving you an impression of the scale of the abbey.
There are 3 other fine abbeys in the area that are well worth a visit:
Abbey Walls & Gateway
Beyond the ruins are the Abbey Walls and Gateway. These stone walls were built in the 1260s and remain the most complete set of abbey walls in England.
They were built to defend the abbey and were used several times when the abbey came to blows with the city over land ownership and taxes.
The gateway to the abbey still stands on Marygate (to the west of the gardens), next to St Olave’s Church.
The poor and needy used to gather there to claim alms.
The building is now the headquarters of York Museums Trust.
The Hospitium
As you look back from the Marygate Gateway towards the park, on your right you will see a large medieval hall.
This is the Hospitium, which along with the Merchant Adventurers Hall, is the finest medieval hall in York. Originally used as a barn by the monastery, it now serves as a magnificent function room.
Beyond the Hospitium lies the river Ouse. This can be accessed directly through a gate in the fence at the far right corner of the gardens, near Lendal Bridge.
The York Observatory
If you take the path back up the hill towards the museum you will pass the York Observatory.
Built in 1833, it is the oldest working observatory in Yorkshire. It houses a 4†refractor telescope and a 19th century clock telling the time based upon observations of the stars, running 4 minutes & 20 seconds behind GMT!
The York Museum Trust also houses a collection of telescopes and scientific instruments in the York Castle Museum.
Visitor Information for the Yorkshire Museum and Museum Gardens
| Duration | Museum Gardens 20 minutes to walk around the groundsYorkshire Museum 1-2 hours |
| Facilities | Shop, Toilets |
| Disabled Access | The Museum Gardens are disabled friendly.There is a ramp at the front of the building and the main entrance area is fully accessible.The Yorkshire Museum is on three floors and there is a lift. The lower ground and ground floor are fully accessible to wheelchair users. The first floor is mainly accessible, but the reading room and historic library are not accessible to wheelchairs.Please contact the museum directly if you wish to access these facilities and they will do their best to help you.Please note that at busy times there may be a delay in using the lift, as only one wheelchair user is allowed on the first floor at one time due to fire regulations. There are handrails on the stairs and there is seating available around the museum. |
| Price | Museum Gardens are free.Yorkshire Museum – Adults £7; Concessions £6; Children under 16 Free. |
| Opening Hours |
Museum Gardens open from dawn until dusk every day of the year.Yorkshire Museum open daily from 10am – 5pm, except for 25 and 26 December, and 1 January. |
Proximity to Minster – 240 metres, 2 minutes
Holiday In York | Yorkshire Museum & Museum Gardens
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