Small Rooms And Spiral Staircase

It soon became clear why it was a one-way system, the rooms on each floor were quite small and you accessed each floor using a narrow spiral staircase. It would be impossible to pass anybody on the staircase. There was a thick rope hanging down the staircase in case you needed some support. Some of the rooms had mannequins representing people in historical settings. The one of a monk sat on the loo was just a bit too realistic for my liking. The museum provided artefacts from every age and the displays were thoughtful. They were also accompanied by very informative notes. Some of the items were from collections donated by local people. For once, I’d found a museum that was reasonably well lit so that you could actually see the exhibits. The top room was the biggest room since it spanned the whole width of the gate. It had tables laid out and I could well imagine the Lords Feoffees having a chinwag there. The staircase leading back down to floor level was quite wide and made of wood and so made the descent easier. 

Exhibits

The exhibits were so varied that it's difficult to highlight any particular ones. They were mostly all interesting for their particular area. For example, there was a display of false eyeballs. Who would have expected that! There were a pair of gloves from Queen Henrietta Maria (the wife of King Charles I). The Queen went to Holland to sell some of the crown jewels in order to buy armaments to assist the King in the English Civil War. When she returned, she actually landed at Bridlington. Four Parliamentary ships followed her into Bridlington and a battle ensued. She had to leave her lodging and sit out the battle by hiding in a low lying stream at Gypsy Race, whilst cannonballs flew over her head. I’d walked past Gypsy Race (see Captain’s Log, Bridlington’s Old Town. Don’t Panic!) on my approach to the Old Town earlier in the day. Now it has been converted into a small nature reserve that is squeezed between a busy road and the carparks of a B&M and Lidl. Who would have thought that there’d been an English Civil War battle there? The Queen must have lost her gloves since they are now on display in the museum. The Royalists must have won the battle since she took all the imported armaments to York with a large convoy of troops. 

There was a large wooden model yacht on the top floor. It reminded me of one I used to have as a youngster, although mine was probably only a 10th the size of this one. Apparently sailing model yachts was popular between the world wars and this explains why a lot of towns have dedicated boating ponds. 

I was impressed by the town’s oak chest. It dated back to the mid 1600s. It used to contain hundreds of parchments containing information about Leases and Deeds 

The Bosun’s Persuader looked quite intimidating. A Bosun was a non-commissioned officer on a ship and responsible for much of the equipment. The Persuader was used to discipline sailors and also a tool when they pressganged. Apparently the Persuader could also have lead waits attached... as if the knotted cord couldn’t have inflicted enough pain.    

The medieval Manuscript Service Book was amazing. It belonged to the Priory and contained the Daily Service of the monastery. The pages were made of vellum and the writing was in Latin. It was all handwritten and the neatness was astounding. I looked to see if I could translate any of it, but the difficult font and my O level Latin weren’t quite up to the job. The gold leaf and colours looked remarkably bright after all these centuries.    

I said goodbye to my mannequin friend standing next to the exit. I didn’t get a response again. I’d really enjoyed my hour’s trip around the museum. The rooms had been full of curiosities and they were all well documented so that you weren’t left guessing about their purpose or inclusion. You could definitely spend longer than an hour if you wanted to carry out a deeper dive into the exhibits.