Whitby Museum is absolutely fantastic, and I really recommend anyone going there to peek in. It has a vast quantity of fossils - tucked up in a corner. It has model ships made out of things like bone and matchsticks - maori art, stones from the beach Captain Cook first stepped on in Australia, amazing, wonderful jet jewellery, eighteenth century china, some amazing samplers and a serious collection of stuffed birds.
The labelling is a bit hit and miss, it is a private museum run by volunteers and there is a Victorian tang to the displays, some of which probably haven't been changed much in the last 100 years. There is a complete, non-cast, genuine, vast fossil of an ichthyosaur. And it is just in a corner with displays of fossil ferns and the imprints of Jurassic clams!
It is about one tenth the size of Leeds City Museum and has at least ten times the exhibits. It even has a hand of glory. For those that don't know, a hand of glory is a dead man's hand, taken from a body on the gallows and used to carry a candle made from the dead man (or possibly a general dead person, not sure). This candle would put all the inhabitants into a deep sleep, and they would be unable to wake and so was invaluable for burglars.
When I next get a chance to write that is so going into a story.
There should be more museums like that.
4 comments:
I love Whitby. We went there for a week at the end of April, it was fantastic. Have you been on the steam train from Pickering or Whitby at all? I'm sure Little Bear would love it. If you like smoked fish, don't forget to get some kippers from Fortunes smokehouse in the old town. Hxx
Little bear went on the train when we stayed at pickering and loved it - and where we were there was the rail line at the bottom of the garden and we could watch the steam trains all day! PoppyNook cottage is an amazing stay, near the co-op, near the harbour, relatively on the flat, and beautiful. I got smoked haddock from the fish shop affiliated to the Magpie Cafe! That's Sunday lunch sorted. WS xxx
crikey, that's a bit gory isn't it ? how did that go down with Little Bear ?
Little bear was a bit, 'yeah, yeah, now can we get to the amazing playground outside...' He was a bit more worried by a massive rifle that had been used in the South Seas and a very vivid totempole. As for the hand of glory exhibit - it was a small case with some printing above it, taking up maybe a few feet. Then you moved on to the amazing jet jewellery. And the medals. And the old coins... Great museum! WS xxx
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