Dated: 28/10/2009

Yorkshire Museum Closed from November 2

A major two million pound project called Letting in the Light that will totally transform the interior of the Yorkshire Museum will begin on Monday, November 2.

York Museums Trust, who run the visitor attraction, are raising the funds to create a truly innovative home for its fantastic collections.

The city’s Roman heritage will be the central theme for the new look museum, with major exhibitions also highlighting its strong medieval and natural history collections.

The famous museum, one of the oldest purpose built museums in the world, will be relaunched on Yorkshire Day, August 1 2010.

Janet Barnes, chief executive of York Museums Trust, said: “The Yorkshire Museum is home to a thousand stories which can be told through some of the most significant archaeological finds and scientific collections in Europe. It is the aim of York Museums Trust to give such objects and stories their deserved place in a museum that can inspire the 21st Century visitor.

“With this investment we hope create such a space to proudly show off York’s treasures and also to refurbish the fabulous interior of this Grade One listed building which has been hidden for many years.”

To carry out the major refurbishment York Museums Trust have already secured £200,000 from the DCMS/Wolfson Foundation, £200,000 from Renaissance in the Regions and £300,000 from the Monument Trust. The City of York Council has granted the Trust a further £800,000 if match funding is secured. A number of other trusts and funding bodies have been applied to, to raise the rest of the funds.

The project, called Letting in the Light, will see much of the relatively modern interior walls removed to create a much more open and welcoming space.

It will be split into the following sections:

Eboracum: Face to Face with the Romans
The museum’s exquisite statue of the Roman God of War, Mars, will greet visitors as they enter the main exhibition for the museum’s redisplay. The power of the Roman Empire will be explored through the museum’s internationally significant collection of Roman artefacts and, thanks to fascinating new research, the true picture of life in Roman York and the people who lived there will be unveiled.

York: The Power and the Glory
From a bustling Anglian city and royal Viking capital to the second city of the kingdom wielding immense ecclesiastical power, York was a microcosm of the vibrant medieval world. The colour, music, romance and spirituality of the medieval period will come to life in this exhibition, among the unique ruins of St Mary’s Abbey. Visitors will be able to discover a kaleidoscope of stories and tales in ways that they choose.

Extinct: A way of life
A colourful, forgotten world of extinct species will be brought to life in this fun, family-orientated gallery. Visitors will see magnificent animal specimens, skeletons and fossils and discover the dramatic stories of why so many species have disappeared, including dinosaurs, mammoths and dodos. The exhibition tells how many other species have survived and adapted and debates the threats that exist today.

As well as the three exhibitions there will also be two other new areas:

The History of York
A new immersive audio-visual experience will take visitors on a swift journey through the history of this great city. The film will take the viewer deep into the detail of buildings, people and objects from one of England’s most historic cities. The History of York will be the starting point for visitors exploring York.

Enquiry - The Learning Level

This area provides visitors with the chance to delve deeper into the past through hands-on activities, displays, workshops and meeting the experts. The area will act as an extension to the exhibitions so people can get even closer to the people, themes and objects that are of most interest to them.

More information on the project, exhibitions and research will be available in the coming months.