York Castle Museum

A few metres from our front door you will find York Castle Museum. The museum is housed in the former Debtors’ Prison (early 18th century) and the Female Prison, designed by John Carr, and build in the late 1700s. When you are in York, it’s definitely worth a vist. A couple of days ago I did so myself, and took a few photos in one of the two wings of the museum.

Inside, you will find several Victorian style rooms, and a Victorian street, decorated with original shop fronts from old demolished buildings. It’s wonderful walking through these streets and alleys, visiting the small shops, and looking at all the beautiful wares on display. Among the many shops you will find  a habberdashery shop, a toy shop, a milliners, candle maker, candy shop, and a beautiful apothecary. Most shops will have very knowledgable staff working there, who, in period clothing, will be able to inform you on the wares they have on display.

One of my favourite rooms is the very plain room right at the start of the museum – it has a very simple interior, a warming itself at the fire place, a beautiful plain four poster bed with a gorgeous quilt, and a wooden plank-like doll with rope arms… there’s so many things in that room that I’d love to take home with me! The atmosphere is heightened by the recreation of certain smells and sounds.

In the first room you will also find a lovely collection of antique needlework samplers. Two of my favourites are stitched by students of the “York School”, a Quaker school opened to acommodate students who could not enter Ackworth School here in Yorkshire. The needlework is absolutely exquisite, and displays large alphabets and texts stitched over one thread on very fine linen. From a distance these samplers look printed, not stitched! I plan on creating a text sampler like these viewed in the museum very soon. For now, I’ll leave you with some photos of my trip.