Craven Museum & Gallery, Local authority museum in Skipton, England.
The Craven Museum and Gallery is a museum in Skipton housing approximately 60,000 objects from diverse periods and disciplines. The exhibits include rocks, rare books, photographs, furniture, art pieces, and taxidermy specimens spanning a vast range of human and natural history.
The institution was founded in 1928 by local societies including the Craven Naturalists and Scientific Association. It moved to Skipton Town Hall in December 1973, where it has remained ever since.
The collection includes one of only four Shakespeare First Folios accessible to the public anywhere, alongside an Iron Age Celtic sword and a Frankish gold coin from the Merovingian period. These treasures reveal the region's deep ties to major moments in European history.
The museum is located on High Street within Skipton Town Hall and opens Monday through Saturday from 9:30 AM to 4:30 PM. Admission is free for all visitors.
The collection features furniture made by Robert Thompson, a craftsman who carved a small mouse into every handmade wooden piece he created. Collectors around the world recognize and value this distinctive trademark.
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