Yorkshire Museum Gardens

The Yorkshire Museum Gardens in York are a pleasant green space on the banks of the River Ouse. The Gardens house the excellent and varied Yorkshire Museum.

The ruins of St. Mary's Abbey, York, England, UK — The ruins of St. Mary's Abbey in Museum Gardens, York, England

History

The Yorkshire Museum Gardens are the former grounds of the now ruined St. Mary's Abbey.

The abbey was built beginning in 1089 by the Benedictines. At its peak the complex included a bakery, brewery, granaries, kitchens and stables.

The abbey church, cloister and chapter house were the main religious buildings.

However the monastery fell in to ruin after the Dissolution of the Monasteries by King Henry VIII in the 16th century. They were excavated by the Yorkshire Philosophical Society in the 19th century with the remains of the chapter house now on display in the Yorkshire Museum.

The ruins of St.Mary's Abbey. — The ruins of St. Mary's Abbey

Things To See

As well as the impressive and evocative ruins there is much else to see.

The octagonal York Observatory is part of the Yorkshire Museum and dates from the 1830's. It has a rotating roof, an incredible achievement for its time.

Also in the gardens are part of the walls of the fortress of Eboracum, built by the Romans. The Multangular Tower formed the north west corner of the fortress and dates from 300 AD.

The different plantings in the gardens include the Oriental Bed with azalea and rhododendron,plants first introduced into Britain from China. This area has echoes of Chinese and Japanese gardens.

The Rockery consists of washed limestone from the Yorkshire Dales and is a home for Alpine plants. The Fern Garden has over 50 different species of ferns decorated with fossils from the museum.

Larger than life statues from the Abbey Church dating from the 12th century. — Larger than life statues from the Abbey Church dating from the 12th century

The Observatory Bed surrounds the York Observatory and is planted with flowers inspired by space, the stars and planets.

Bright green Tansy Beetles are only found in York and Tansy is planted here to provide a habitat for this threatened species.

The Prairie Bed has plants brought over to Britain from America such as Spiderwort and Aster.

The gardens also has a bank of daffodils with the ruins of the abbey as a picturesque backdrop.

The gardens cover 10 acres with views of the River Ouse. They are also a venue for various activities including open-air theatre and musical performances.

The gardens back on to the York Theatre Royal and York Art Gallery. The Star Inn the City is a pleasant place to dine with a terrace overlooking the river. On the other side of the gardens is St Olave's Church York, a Catholic church with a 15th century tower and stained glass windows.

Part of the walls of the Roman Fortress. — Part of the walls of the Roman Fortress

Goods From Japan delivered to your home or business. — Goods From Japan delivered to your home or business

Information & Hours

York Museum Gardens
York YO1 7FR
01904 687 687
www: yorkmuseumgardens.org.uk

The gardens are generally open daily from 7 am to 8 pm but are subject to change during the winter. Check the website above for details.

Roman walls, Yorkshire Museum Gardens. — Roman walls, Yorkshire Museum Gardens

Yorkshire Museum Gardens, York, UK. — Ruins of St Mary's Abbey, York

Access - Getting to York

York Station, just outside the city walls, is York's main station with trains to Manchester Piccadilly, London King's Cross, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Durham, Inverness and Newcastle.

There are CrossCountry trains to Darlington, Durham, Newcastle Central, Berwick-on-Tweed, Edinburgh Waverley, Glasgow Central, Dundee and Aberdeen.

Services south on CrossCountry include trains to Leeds, Wakefield Westgate, Doncaster, Sheffield, Derby, Birmingham New Street, Bristol Temple Meads, Exeter St Davids, Plymouth, Penzance, Reading and Southampton.

First TransPennine Express has services to Leeds, Huddersfield, Manchester Piccadilly, Manchester Airport and Liverpool Lime Street as well as Scarborough, Middlesbrough, Darlington, Durham and Newcastle Central.

Northern Rail has rail connections to Knaresborough, Harrogate and Leeds, Bradford Interchange, Halifax, Blackburn, Preston, Blackpool North Selby and Hull Paragon as well as infrequent trains to Sheffield.

Long distance National Express buses run nationwide from the bus station in Rougier Street, a short walk north of York Station.