Beck Isle Museum, Pickering

The museum was started in 1967 by a group of volunteers, and was run for a short time as a museum and art centre. It is an independent museum, and attracts over 10,000 visitors each year. The museum is sited in the centre of the town, close to the North Yorkshire Railway Station, and there is limited car parking, with other car parks close by. The museum has an extensive collection sited in a regency building which was the home of William Marshall, who built the house to become the first agricultural college in England. There are 27 separate displays covering the history of the local area over the last 200 years. One of the most interesting changing displays are the Photographic work of brilliant local photographer Sydney Smith and his wife Maud, who recorded the town and local area over their lifetime, from around 1900.

GC. Hon. Curator