Craven Museum

As a historic castle and market town on the edge of the Yorkshire Dales, Skipton’s a popular tourist spot. When you grow up there, though, and spend your teenage years just weaving around slow-​moving coach parties, it’s easy to forget that the area holds so much in the way of interest — and hippos. That’s where the Craven Museum plays such an important role.
The museum is essentially just one sizeable room. Visitors start at the prehistoric Leeds hippo skull (no, really) and move forward in time by — appropriately — going around the room clockwise. As you’d expect, many of the artefacts on display are industrial and agricultural, but the museum’s crowning exhibit sits in the middle of the Early Modern period in a special booth all of its own: a genuine original First Folio of Shakespeare’s plays. True to my name, I am something of a fawning fan of the Bard’s, and I’ve come here more than once simply to stand in something approaching awed reverence in front of the tome.
There are some informative notices explaining its journey of ownership, ending with its donation to the museum, and it’s worth visiting just for the Folio. But there are other highlights on display, too, such as some beautiful dresses and an old lead ingot engine.
Someone has designed some neat little activities for kids, as well. There’s a colouring table and a play-​archaeology dig, and at the moment they’re running a crowd-​sourcing project to identify a mystery artefact found in the area. It’s something a little like a five-​pronged shoe-​horn and there are some great ideas from children on the Post-​It note suggestions.
You’d struggle to entertain a class-​load of children here for long on a school trip, as much for the reason of limited space as anything else, but if you’ve got a small family then it should keep the young ones entertained for a little while. It could stand to be more interactive, but given the size of the place and the fact that it’s entirely volunteer-​run, it’s an amazing and fascinating addition to the town and to the area as a whole.

Pleasant enough little museum with nice interactive bits that you can fiddle with even though you’re too old to do so.
I seem to remember having to assemble some kind of thing wearing gloves. Nice photos of the town and people and so on. I think we were made to put our bags in the corner though, so as to prevent theft. They don’t check your trousers though.

Craven Museum can be found in Skipton Town Hall on the ground floor and first floor of the building.
Downstairs and easily acccessible is the Gallery which has a changing programme of events throughout the year. Art, decorative arts, etc.
The local histroy museum is on the first floor and does not have a lift to the front, but there is a stair lift available at the rear of the building.
The local histroy museum does what it says on the tin, themed areas detailing, life in Skipton during the Victorian times, changes over the years to the Town. Archaeological displays of items found in the area. Geololgy and geography. The history of industry in the area, mills, lead mines.
There is also a computer available which has photographs of the area from the past for you to browse though (I found this very interesting.)
A few intereactive exhibits to keep children amused and quizzes for them to fill in. A small shop sellling books, souvenirs and a lot of local history pamphlets and books.
The staff are mostly volunteers but are very helpful and knowledgeable.
Closed on Tuesdays throughout the year and Sundays in the Winter months. Parking is available nearby at a cost or on Thursdays the setts in Skipton can be parked on for free for up to Two hours. No longer though, as parking tickets are given out now.
Well worth a visit as a tourist or a local.

A small but very interesting museum in the town hall, Skipton, the Craven Museum is entirely voluntarily funded and is well worth an hour of any body’s time.
There are some remarkably pieces of antiquary inside and some of it really is fascinating, but don’t expect rows upon rows of artifacts. The staff are minimal but knowledgeable and friendly and all too eager to help you out.
Recommended for anyone with an hour to spare, especially those interested in the local history.