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Knaresborough, near Harrogate in North Yorkshire, is a picturesque market town with a rich history to match, from its ruined castle and an enigmatic 13th-century hermitage known as St Robert’s Cave (see CA 364) to its links with one of Britain’s largest and most unusual Roman hoards (CA 408). Until recently, however, the town had no museum dedicated to exploring this story.
In order to redress this balance, in 2019 a band of local volunteers formed the Knaresborough Town Museum Group – and, within two years, following a number of pop-up exhibitions and a successful crowdfunding campaign, the initiative had evolved into a registered charity called Knaresborough Museum Association (KMA). Their efforts finally bore fruit this spring, with the opening of Knaresborough Heritage Centre – currently on a five-year lease, but representing an important step on the way towards creating a permanent museum for the local community.
Run by volunteers, the Heritage Centre is home to a rotating series of exhibitions, creating a dynamic and engaging space to learn about the history of the town and surrounding areas. Its inaugural exhibition (below) showcased local archaeology, from deep prehistory when the Nidd Valley sat on the equator, to early human occupation and the Iron Age and Roman occupation of nearby Aldborough (Isurium Brigantum; see CA 312 and 369), as well as the town’s surviving medieval buildings, and KMA’s recent community excavations at the Gamekeepers Cottage in Birkham Wood.
Opening on 9 October, the next exhibition will feature the linen industry that was the centre of the town’s economy through the 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries up until the 1970s, combining archaeology and social history to compare the lives of local people across time. In the future, KMA also hopes to explore the Forest of Knaresborough and the impact of the Enclosure Acts.
Other activities include a monthly programme of talks about local history and archaeology, as well as guided tours around the town led by dedicated volunteers. For more information about the museum and upcoming events, see http://www.knaresboroughtownmuseum.org.uk; the Heritage Centre is also on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/KnaresboroughMuseum), Instagram (http://www.instagram.com/knaresboroughmuseum), and TikTok (http://www.tiktok.com/@knaresborough_kma).
Further information: Knaresborough Heritage Centre is open 10am-4pm on Wednesdays, Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays. Entry is a £2 donation for adults, free for accompanied children under 16 years old.
Source: Leon Corneille-Cowell is an archaeology student undertaking his Master’s degree at the University of York, and a volunteer with Knaresborough Museum Association.
Images: Knaresborough Museum Association
