Fiona Green, Collections Facilitator of Art runs through her list of Christmas gifts from York Museums Trust.

For the Twelve Days of Christmas, York Museum Trust gave to me . . .

12 Coins from the Haxby Hoard

We tend to spend a lot of money over the Christmas period on gifts and nights out so it’s interesting to look at money from different eras in history. Our numismatic department have a large hoard of around 350 4th Century Roman coins. There are depictions of three emperors on these coins; Constantine I, Constantine II and Constans, along with the personification of the cities Constaninopolis and Rome.

 

 

11 Whole Bird Eggs

Birds are very topical at Christmas whether it is a robin on a Christmas card or turkey on the table. At York Museum Trust we have many examples of bird eggs from the common guillemot, ostrich, mistle thrush and pink-footed goose. The wide variety of specimens provides our natural history department with a rich resource for research into ornithology.

 

10 Decorative Fans

There is a large collection of costume situated at the Castle Museum and we all get the chance to dress up in our finery for the many Christmas parties over the holidays. My favourite accessory would be a stylish fan. This one is a brise fan made with sandalwood sticks decorated with ribbon and images of flowers.

9 Minibeasts

We are all encouraged to share love and kindness at Christmas so I will take this opportunity to delve into the creepy crawly world and get to know these little guys a bit better. This nine minibeast workshop on display at the Yorkshire Museum is the perfect way to encourage kids to insect spot in their own garden over the holidays.

8 Bernard Leach Pots

I’m sure lots of ceramic fans would love a Bernard Leach pot for Christmas but instead you can see a wide variety of amazing studio ceramics when the new Centre of Ceramic Art (CoCA) opens next year following the re-development of the art gallery. The most famous piece being the Leaping Salmon vase which Leach created using bracken ash from near his studio.

7 Historic Photographs

Taking photos are the quickest and easiest way of keeping hold of precious memories spending time with family over the Christmas period. I love looking at old photographs especially ones of families.

You are privileged to be able to have a sneaky peak into someone else life. Our social history department have many photographs showing us what life was like over the years.

6 Pieces of Treasure

The Archaeology department has nearly 1 million objects some of which are showcased in the Yorkshire Museum, and most women like a bit of bling at Christmas so I would look for the treasure hidden here. In the collection there are some significant pieces like the Middleham Jewel and Ring, Gilling sword and the Ormside bowl (pictured).

5 Historic Books

Every year I get a book for Christmas and it is nice to curl up and read when the weather is horrible outside. Come and visit our historic library which was established by the Yorkshire Philosophical Society in 1823 and houses around 42,000 volumes. On certain days our stewards are on hand to give you more in-depth details on this amazing collection housed in the Yorkshire Museum.

4 Oil Paintings

The anticipation of the art gallery re-opening is getting bigger and bigger and all the art team are really busy and excited making sure everything will be perfect for the grand opening next year so I wanted to remind myself of some of the beautiful pieces and skilful artists in York Art Gallery’s collection. Works from Etty, Van Dyck, Sickert and, of course, Lowry.

3 World War I Uniforms

The Castle Museum currently have an amazing exhibition called 1914 looking at all aspects of the First World War, a topic which is at the front of everyone’s minds at the moment, especially thinking about the story of the troops playing football together on Christmas day. The history team have a huge range of military uniforms on display and in store to help remind us about this heart-warming story.

 

2 Conversation Jugs

I had to put this in my list of YMT Christmas gifts as they are my favourite objects in the ceramic store at the moment. The two earthenware jugs sit on an embroidered cloth and the warm gold glazes with cream and yellow cloth give me a warm Christmassy feeling – perfect for storing gold, frankincense or myrrh!

 

1 Observatory

The York Observatory is set in Museum Gardens and was built in 1832 making it the oldest working observatory in Yorkshire. It is a huge part of YMT’s astronomy collection and makes the perfect final request for my gift list.

To create your own York Museum Trust Christmas wish list, visit us during the festive period to experience the huge range of collections and Christmas activities we have going on.

Merry Christmas!