Ancient York and Lots of History

York Museum

Starr Carr was an ancient settlement of people c. 11,000 years ago, after the receding of the last ice age. At that time, people speculate that Great Britain was still attached to the main continent of Europe by land, so people traveled back and forth. North Yorkshire is the place where evidence of this settlement and its people were found. According to the estimates these people long preceded the Picts or other documented tribes in the area.

Dog was man’s best friend, even back then! Clear evidence puts dog ancestors living with the people. Many other types of animal bones were found as well, some which are not now found anywhere in the UK.

The Yorkshire Museum has re-created settings for what this village may have looked like based on the remains unearthed. What I love best about this museum is the children’s track which provides lots of hands-on experiences for them. 

Monet at the York Art Gallery

I had not intended to visit the art gallery today as there are so many places to see here and so little time! But when I saw Monet on exhibit, I had to pop in for the sake of my youngest daughter who has always loved Monet.

The Exhibit was nicely assembled with paintings from artists and art techniques that inspired Claude Monet, but also his contemporaries and those which were inspired by him.

The only original painting on display is The Water Lily Pond, which is wonderful and rightfully deserves a wall to itself! He was quite a gardener and painted many scenes inspired by his own gardens at this home in Giverny, France. A man after my own heart! They planted a tribute wildflower garden behind the gallery as a part of the overall Museum Gardens.

The Museum Gardens are huge and look so inviting. Today was a bit showery and the ground was muddy so I walked a little bit but opted to skip the rest. In a bright, sunny spring day this would be a wonderful way to spend an afternoon. Others had that idea as well; large grassy areas hosted groups that weren’t worried about the wet weather.

Abbey of St. Mary

The ruins of the abbey share the grounds of the Museum Gardens. This is another case of these ruins being buried for centuries and sadly they were pilfered a few times over the years by pot hunters who carried off sourvenirs. 

Roman Walls

Much of the Roman walls still surround the central part of Yok which was originally a Roman Fortress. They are walkable for the sure-footed.