Yorkshire Museum of Farming
Encyclopedia
The Yorkshire Museum of Farming is located in Murton Park
near York
in England. It is housed on a grass field site of approximately 14 acres (5.7 ha), and is the only museum in the district specifically dedicated to the subject of farming. In the autumn of 2010, the museum was awarded full accreditation status by the Museums Libraries and archives Council (MLA).
The museum has built up a large collection of artefacts that illustrate the history of farm mechanisation. The collection also contains domestic items and other documentary material relating to the social structure of rural life in the area. Events are held throughout the year relating to rural and farming themes. There is also a children's play area and a cafe.
The site is also home to the last surviving stretch of the Derwent Valley Light Railway
, part of whose archive is also in the museum's collection.
The museum shares the site with the Danelaw
Centre for Living History. Living history facilities include a mock Roman
fort called Brigantium, which is a disguised outdoor classroom designed to cater for up to 65 children at a time. There are also buildings dedicated to the Tudor
and Viking
ages, including a Dark Age village
and how they farmed the land centuries ago.
and East
Yorkshire
to the East Yorkshire Farm Machinery Preservation Society and stored at Burton Constable
.
The core of the collection focuses on the development of the mechanisation of farming during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. A wide variety of items are on display, divided between two main exhibition galleries, the Four Seasons Gallery and the Livestock
Gallery. A number of rare breeds of livestock are kept on site, including a Togenburg goat 'Jeffrey' who has been made an honorary member and mascot for the RAF 609 (West Riding) squadron since March 2010.
The Four Seasons Gallery looks at the farming year, and the different practices and tools which are used across the four seasons. There is also a granary
display and a recreated Victorian ironmonger's shop.
The Livestock building considers the rearing and farming of a variety of types of livestock. This also includes a display of the contents of the James Herriot
's (Alf Wight) veterinary surgery.
The museum is also home to a large manuscript archive which can be viewed on appointment. Subjects covered in the archive include: manorial documents, agricultural machinery manufacturers' accounts, the Women's Land Army
, the Derwent Valley Light Railway, the Cleveland Bay Horse Society, and a huge array of miscellaneous accounts, correspondence, certificates, photographs, maps and prints. There is also a sizeable library on-site which contains numerous historic journals, manuals, text books, and magazines. This can be accessed by appointment.
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During 2007-2008, a project which involved interviewing a number of different farming families was completed. This provides an audiovisual display of different types of farms from around Yorkshire, including Dairy
, Sheep, Pig
s and Arable
crops, both organic
and those using Agrochemicals, an artificial inseminater
and some subsistence
farms. A new audiovisual room was built as part of the project.
The museum lies on the trackbed of the Derwent Valley Light Railway
- a privately-owned standard-gauge railway which ran from Layerthorpe
on the outskirts of York
to Cliffe Common
near Selby
. This closed in 1981, but a small section has been restored as part of the museum. It opened in 1993, and incorporates a station building formerly located at Wheldrake
. There is approximately 0.75 miles (1.2 km) of track running along the original trackbed towards York.
Murton, York
Murton is a small village and a civil parish in the unitary authority of the City of York in North Yorkshire, England that is located on the outskirts of York...
near York
York
York is a walled city, situated at the confluence of the Rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. The city has a rich heritage and has provided the backdrop to major political events throughout much of its two millennia of existence...
in England. It is housed on a grass field site of approximately 14 acres (5.7 ha), and is the only museum in the district specifically dedicated to the subject of farming. In the autumn of 2010, the museum was awarded full accreditation status by the Museums Libraries and archives Council (MLA).
The museum has built up a large collection of artefacts that illustrate the history of farm mechanisation. The collection also contains domestic items and other documentary material relating to the social structure of rural life in the area. Events are held throughout the year relating to rural and farming themes. There is also a children's play area and a cafe.
The site is also home to the last surviving stretch of the Derwent Valley Light Railway
Derwent Valley Light Railway
The Derwent Valley Light Railway was a privately-owned standard-gauge railway running from Layerthorpe on the outskirts of York to Cliffe Common near Selby in North Yorkshire, England. It opened in 1913, and closed in sections between 1965 and 1981...
, part of whose archive is also in the museum's collection.
The museum shares the site with the Danelaw
Danelaw
The Danelaw, as recorded in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle , is a historical name given to the part of England in which the laws of the "Danes" held sway and dominated those of the Anglo-Saxons. It is contrasted with "West Saxon law" and "Mercian law". The term has been extended by modern historians to...
Centre for Living History. Living history facilities include a mock Roman
Ancient Rome
Ancient Rome was a thriving civilization that grew on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea and centered on the city of Rome, it expanded to one of the largest empires in the ancient world....
fort called Brigantium, which is a disguised outdoor classroom designed to cater for up to 65 children at a time. There are also buildings dedicated to the Tudor
Tudor period
The Tudor period usually refers to the period between 1485 and 1603, specifically in relation to the history of England. This coincides with the rule of the Tudor dynasty in England whose first monarch was Henry VII...
and Viking
Viking
The term Viking is customarily used to refer to the Norse explorers, warriors, merchants, and pirates who raided, traded, explored and settled in wide areas of Europe, Asia and the North Atlantic islands from the late 8th to the mid-11th century.These Norsemen used their famed longships to...
ages, including a Dark Age village
Village
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...
and how they farmed the land centuries ago.
History and collection
The museum opened in 1982. It was originally designed to house a growing collection of farm machinery that had been donated by various farms from NorthNorth Yorkshire
North Yorkshire is a non-metropolitan or shire county located in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England, and a ceremonial county primarily in that region but partly in North East England. Created in 1974 by the Local Government Act 1972 it covers an area of , making it the largest...
and East
East Riding of Yorkshire
The East Riding of Yorkshire, or simply East Yorkshire, is a local government district with unitary authority status, and a ceremonial county of England. For ceremonial purposes the county also includes the city of Kingston upon Hull, which is a separate unitary authority...
Yorkshire
Yorkshire
Yorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its great size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have also been subject to periodic reform...
to the East Yorkshire Farm Machinery Preservation Society and stored at Burton Constable
Burton Constable
Burton Constable is a village and civil parish in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It is located approximately north east of Hull city centre and south east of the village of Skirlaugh....
.
The core of the collection focuses on the development of the mechanisation of farming during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. A wide variety of items are on display, divided between two main exhibition galleries, the Four Seasons Gallery and the Livestock
Livestock
Livestock refers to one or more domesticated animals raised in an agricultural setting to produce commodities such as food, fiber and labor. The term "livestock" as used in this article does not include poultry or farmed fish; however the inclusion of these, especially poultry, within the meaning...
Gallery. A number of rare breeds of livestock are kept on site, including a Togenburg goat 'Jeffrey' who has been made an honorary member and mascot for the RAF 609 (West Riding) squadron since March 2010.
The Four Seasons Gallery looks at the farming year, and the different practices and tools which are used across the four seasons. There is also a granary
Granary
A granary is a storehouse for threshed grain or animal feed. In ancient or primitive granaries, pottery is the most common use of storage in these buildings. Granaries are often built above the ground to keep the stored food away from mice and other animals.-Early origins:From ancient times grain...
display and a recreated Victorian ironmonger's shop.
The Livestock building considers the rearing and farming of a variety of types of livestock. This also includes a display of the contents of the James Herriot
James Herriot
James Herriot was the pen name of James Alfred Wight, OBE, FRCVS also known as Alf Wight , an English veterinary surgeon and writer, who used his many years of experiences as a veterinarian to write a series of books of stories about animals and their owners...
's (Alf Wight) veterinary surgery.
The museum is also home to a large manuscript archive which can be viewed on appointment. Subjects covered in the archive include: manorial documents, agricultural machinery manufacturers' accounts, the Women's Land Army
Women's Land Army
The Women's Land Army was a British civilian organisation created during the First and Second World Wars to work in agriculture replacing men called up to the military. Women who worked for the WLA were commonly known as Land Girls...
, the Derwent Valley Light Railway, the Cleveland Bay Horse Society, and a huge array of miscellaneous accounts, correspondence, certificates, photographs, maps and prints. There is also a sizeable library on-site which contains numerous historic journals, manuals, text books, and magazines. This can be accessed by appointment.
Farming families
Dairy
A dairy is a business enterprise established for the harvesting of animal milk—mostly from cows or goats, but also from buffalo, sheep, horses or camels —for human consumption. A dairy is typically located on a dedicated dairy farm or section of a multi-purpose farm that is concerned...
, Sheep, Pig
Pig
A pig is any of the animals in the genus Sus, within the Suidae family of even-toed ungulates. Pigs include the domestic pig, its ancestor the wild boar, and several other wild relatives...
s and Arable
Agronomy
Agronomy is the science and technology of producing and using plants for food, fuel, feed, fiber, and reclamation. Agronomy encompasses work in the areas of plant genetics, plant physiology, meteorology, and soil science. Agronomy is the application of a combination of sciences like biology,...
crops, both organic
Organic farming
Organic farming is the form of agriculture that relies on techniques such as crop rotation, green manure, compost and biological pest control to maintain soil productivity and control pests on a farm...
and those using Agrochemicals, an artificial inseminater
Artificial insemination
Artificial insemination, or AI, is the process by which sperm is placed into the reproductive tract of a female for the purpose of impregnating the female by using means other than sexual intercourse or natural insemination...
and some subsistence
Subsistence agriculture
Subsistence agriculture is self-sufficiency farming in which the farmers focus on growing enough food to feed their families. The typical subsistence farm has a range of crops and animals needed by the family to eat and clothe themselves during the year. Planting decisions are made with an eye...
farms. A new audiovisual room was built as part of the project.
Derwent Valley Light Railway
Derwent Valley Light Railway
The Derwent Valley Light Railway was a privately-owned standard-gauge railway running from Layerthorpe on the outskirts of York to Cliffe Common near Selby in North Yorkshire, England. It opened in 1913, and closed in sections between 1965 and 1981...
- a privately-owned standard-gauge railway which ran from Layerthorpe
Layerthorpe
Layerthorpe is a former village and latterly industrial district to the north-east of the centre of the city of York, North Yorkshire, England. It is just outside the city walls of York.- Origin of the name :...
on the outskirts of York
York
York is a walled city, situated at the confluence of the Rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. The city has a rich heritage and has provided the backdrop to major political events throughout much of its two millennia of existence...
to Cliffe Common
Cliffe, Selby
Cliffe is a small village and civil parish in the Selby district of North Yorkshire, England. It lies on the A63 trunk road from Selby to Hull and the railway line which also goes to and from those destinations. The railway was opened in 1863 and there was a station at Cliffe although it was named...
near Selby
Selby
Selby is a town and civil parish in North Yorkshire, England. Situated south of the city of York, along the course of the River Ouse, Selby is the largest and, with a population of 13,012, most populous settlement of the wider Selby local government district.Historically a part of the West Riding...
. This closed in 1981, but a small section has been restored as part of the museum. It opened in 1993, and incorporates a station building formerly located at Wheldrake
Wheldrake
Wheldrake is a village and civil parish located south-east of York. Administratively it is in the unitary authority of the City of York in North Yorkshire, England....
. There is approximately 0.75 miles (1.2 km) of track running along the original trackbed towards York.