Malton Museum celebrating 90th anniversary - and how you can get involved
A volunteer-run museum in Malton is celebrating its 90th anniversary.
Malton Museum first opened its doors to the public on January 10, 1935.
Then called the Roman Malton Museum, it showed the finds from archaeological digs led by Dr JL Kirk and Philip Corder at Malton Fort, Langton Villa and Crambeck in the late 1920s and early 1930s.
When it first opened, the museum housed numerous items including a collection of flints manufactured by Yorkshire’s notorious fake antiquities dealer, ‘Flint Jack’, aka Edward Simpson.
Since opening, the museum has further developed its collections, moving from traditional display cases to a more engaging presentation of Malton’s history, from the Neolithic period the 20th Century, with hands-on activities for all ages.
The museum, which is open to the public Thursday to Saturday from April until the end of October, is inviting everyone to be part of its celebrations this year.
Rachael Bowers, Museum Coordinator, said: “Although we have been here for 90 years and are very much part of our community, lots of people still haven’t visited Malton Museum.
"So we’re encouraging everyone to make 2025 the year that they come and visit us, see our amazing collections and meet our friendly volunteers.
"Our new exhibition for 2025 is A Sense of Place: Trade and Industry and we are also displaying some of Flint Jack’s fraudulent flintstones, first displayed in Malton Museum 90 years ago.”
The museum relies on volunteers to open, with people of all ages and from all walks of life getting involved in every aspect of its work.
Museum chairman, Phil Crabtree, added: "It is an absolute pleasure to work with such a nice and dedicated team.
"We’re immensely proud of everything our volunteers achieve, and we look forward to celebrating with them later in the year.
"Malton Museum has come a long way from 1935, and we’re looking forwards, to securing a permanent home for our nationally significant collection and a space where we can really tell Malton and Norton’s story.”
If you would like to be part of Malton Museum’s volunteer team in 2025, visit https://www.maltonmuseum.co.uk/get-involved/ where you can download an application form.
Roles required include Front of House, Learning, Town Tour Guides and Social Media Volunteers.