Yorkshire Museum

The Yorkshire Museum in York is an early 19th-century museum founded by the Yorkshire Philosophical Society and located in the city’s Museum Gardens; its building and collections date from around 1830. The institution houses regional archaeology and natural history collections important to the study of Roman, Viking and medieval York.

Permanent displays cover Roman antiquities, medieval material and natural history specimens from the region, with galleries arranged for chronological and thematic exploration. The museum also stages temporary exhibitions that draw on its collections and research, and it offers educational programs and public lectures.

The Yorkshire Philosophical Society founded and opened the museum in the early 19th century to house and study local antiquities and natural history specimens; the institution has developed its collections through archaeological finds and donations over nearly two centuries. The building and gardens reflect the museum’s long association with civic and scholarly activity in York.

The museum sits in the Museum Gardens in central York, immediately north of York Minster and within walking distance of the city center and riverside.

• Museum location: Located within the Museum Gardens immediately adjacent to York Minster, making it easy to combine with visits to the cathedral and riverside attractions.

What to See #

• Archaeology galleries: Ground-floor galleries presenting Roman and medieval archaeology from the York area, including finds from the city's Roman colonia and later medieval sculptural fragments.
• Natural history galleries: Displays of regional natural history specimens and historical scientific collections assembled by the Yorkshire Philosophical Society since the museum's foundation.
• Temporary exhibition galleries: Temporary exhibition spaces used for rotating shows that draw on the museum's archaeology, local history and natural science collections.