In pictures: Letting in the light
York's oldest museum is to be completely refurbished at a cost of £2 million. The Yorkshire Museum, which is a Grade One listed building, opened in 1830 as a home for the collections of the Yorkshire Philosophical Society.
The scheme, known as 'Letting in the Light', will transform the dark interior of the museum. This will reveal the splendour of the original 19th century building. The central hall will be opened up with light flooding in from above.
During the refurbishment the first floor galleries of the museum will revert to their original double height. The roof lights will be restored and canvas coverings like the one pictured removed.
The re-design will focus on creating three major exhibitions, making the best use of the museum's collections. They are Eboracum: Face to Face with the Romans; York: The Power and the Glory; and Extinct: A Way of Life.
'York: The Power and Glory' will follow the story of York after the Romans departed. This exhibition, situated on the lower level of the museum, will feature many of the museum's most famous artefacts.
The museum has an amazing collection of artefacts and staff hope that the refurbishment will enable them to display many more items.
This exhibition will also reveal how the museum 'floats' above the remains of St Mary's Abbey, once one of the richest abbeys in England.
Some of the architectural remains are still in situ, like this great hearth. Once it would have helped warm the monks on chilly Yorkshire days.
These architectural remains give visitors a unique chance to visualise the splendour of St Mary's Abbey, which was destroyed during the Reformation.
Visitors will be able to gaze at one of the museum's most beautiful artefacts. This medieval jewel could well have been made for a member of the powerful Neville family whose home was at Middleham Castle.
The final exhibition in the new museum will focus on natural history. 'Extinct: A Way of Life' will be a family-orientated gallery, bringing to life the forgotten world of extinct species and explaining how creatures like the Moa, pictured, vanished.
Apart from the three major exhibitions, the refurbishment will also provide a learning level, offering people a chance to delve deeper into the past through a range of activities.
The museum will be closed from Monday November 2 2009. It's expected to re-open on Yorkshire Day - August 1 2010.
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