Portal:Yorkshire/Selected article/6



York Museum Gardens are botanic gardens in the centre of York, England. They cover an area of 10 acre of the former grounds of St Mary's Abbey, and, along with the Yorkshire Museum, they were created during the 1830s by the Yorkshire Philosophical Society. They are held on trust by the City of York Council and managed by the York Museums Trust. The gardens were designed by landscape architect Sir John Murray Naysmith in a gardenesque style, and contain a variety of species of plants, trees and birds. Admission is free.

There are several historic buildings in the gardens. They contain the remains of the west corner of the Roman fort of Eboracum, including the Multangular Tower and parts of the Roman walls. Most of the other buildings dating from the Middle Ages are associated with St. Mary's Abbey. The remains of St. Leonard's Hospital chapel and undercroft are on the east side of the gardens. The Yorkshire Philosophical Society constructed several buildings in the gardens during the 19th and early 20th century, including the Yorkshire Museum and its octagonal observatory. The museum houses four permanent collections, covering biology, geology, archaeology and astronomy. (read more . . . )