Cliffe Castle Musuem in Keighley has to be my all-time favourite museum. It is crammed full of all sorts of quirky treasures, so many that it would take a lifetime to really see them all. Some of the rooms are furnished as they would have been when the house was a Victorian mansion, home to the Butterfield family. Then there is huge gallery full of stuffed birds, reptiles and animals, a relic of Victorian times that could and would not be replicated nowadays but that I find, nonetheless, absolutely fascinating. You can, for instance, get a close view of the exquisite markings of a barn owl's feathers, realise how large our naturalised brown hare is and see the delicate skeleton of a snake.
Then there are wonderful geology specimens: rocks and crystals with subtly gorgeous colours and intricate structures. Then still more human handiwork: paintings, ceramics, textiles, clothes, stained glass, tools... so much to marvel at. The displays range from the traditional glass cases to much more interactive, colourful and user-friendly exhibits, with many geared to young people. It's a real treasure-trove.
This colourful exhibit is a timeline, exquisitely embroidered as a collage/tapestry, with a rainbow display of related exhibits in the glass domes.
Nearby is this glassy-eyed creature. I forgot to note exactly what it is but I think it may be a coleocanth. Yikes!
Hi Jenny - looks to be fascinating ... and I'd love to see it. I hadn't realised they were so big ... 6.5 feet apparently and nearly 200 lbs (or 90 kg) ... I had to look it up after seeing your photo ... what a great museum and can see why you enjoy visiting - cheers Hilary
ReplyDeleteHello, Cliffe Castle Museum, is very good. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ujKL1pUHDfo
ReplyDeleteI recall that on the Lower Road in Baildon there used to be a steel manufacturing firm named Butterfield Tanks. I do not know whether this activity was part of the Butterfield textile concern, or the local name just coincidence.
ReplyDeleteQuite a place for a visit!
ReplyDeleteIt certainly looks full of interesting exhibits, as well as the beauty of the building itself!
ReplyDeleteI always loved the geology section in our museum when I was a kid!
ReplyDeleteI have a soft spot for old-style museums where you never quite know what you'll see next. Taxidermy is still "alive and well", if I can use such a phrase, though using the bodies of animals killed accidentally rather than shot for the purpose.
ReplyDeleteInteresting place. The window is marvelous. Imagine a window seat reading nook with a window like that.
ReplyDeleteThe tapestry is very pretty and colourful - wonder how long it took to make?
ReplyDeleteI've never heard of this place; looks brilliant - as John says, a kind of old-style museum.
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