Thank you for all your reads and rates... bear with me if I don't respond, I'm trying to catch up on...
Thank you for all your reads and rates... bear with me if I don't respond, I'm trying to catch up on my own alerts. But I do appreciate every single comment. Lx
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"You may experience a little time turbulence" we were informed. "Just a little shaking; it's nothing to be alarmed about". We were sat on benches in a small room that forms the Jorvik's equivalent of the TARDIS, as the screen in front of us scrolled back through about a thousand years of York history. Museums have clearly changed since I were a nipper.
Emerging from the time capsule, we were then to be taken on another journey. Carriages slung from an overhead track, were to take us from the riverbank up through the streets of the Viking settlement of Jorvik. It was dark, and dank, and just ever so slightly smelly…no-where near as bad as I suspect it would have been, but enough for atmosphere.
We hadn't expected any of this (not least because we'd been aiming for a different museum entirely, but that's another story).
The tableaux are largely static, peopled by manikins (with only limited movement), with commentary being provided in a number of languages from in-car speakers.
We encounter children playing a board game in the street, later identified as Hnefetafl - an early form of chess probably descended the Roman Latrunculi and/or the Greek Petteia. As with Chess the aim is to kill the opponent's king, although unlike chess you can win by having your king escape by reaching one of the designated side or corner squares. The king has a variable number of defending warriors and usually faces double the number of attackers. Played (under variable local rules) throughout Scandinavia and the Viking-influenced countries of Britain and Saxony, it was largely replaced by Chess in due course, although it survived in some areas as late as the 1600s. Modern interest in the more social aspects of history have triggered a revival - and the Danish or Icelandic (?) school
party we encountered later in our tour were well into their game against the local Museum champion.
The different types of building construction from the simple wattle & daub of the blacksmith's house, to the "brand-new" oak construction of the woodturner's higher up the street (towards the more prosperous part of town) were displayed and explained. The richer folk were quite literally moving up in the world: up away from the river, and by having two-storey homes also up away from the ground.
We pass the market place and learn of the goods being traded, food and wine and gems and materials from all the known world; we pass through the interior of a typical home to see the upper hearth and family centre, witness the women gossiping, families arguing, dogs fighting; and pass a street-side cesspit, engaged by a chap whose exertions we could probably have lived without!
Towards the end of the route, the real subsoil of York held within this modern cellar becomes again visible and you can see the layers that were dug through to find the evidence for all that has gone before.
There was a slight "technical hitch" during our ride. About half-way through, carriages came to a halt and darkness descended. A calming voice told us not to panic; the problem would be resolved shortly. (We probably weren't meant to hear the bit that said: "it's ok, we know where it is; this is the third time this week".) True to their word, we were shortly on the move again - but we'd lost all commentary, so got to make it up as we went along. Not entirely accurately, as you might imagine. On reaching disembarkation, we were asked about the commentary and, confirming we'd lost it, were asked if we'd "like to go round again?" Would we? Are we of such childlike mind? Absolutely!
The second half of the Jorvik experience is much more traditional, with display cases of finds: tools, weapons, jewellery, household objects. This part I found a little disappointing. Not because of it's staid nature - but because the explanations given were limited. I wanted to know what it was, where it was found, how it might have looked and been used originally. I know that the world has moved on, and attention deficit sets in early these days, and museums need all of this modern stuff (hey, I was enjoying the modern interpretative equipment just as much as the next nine-year-old), but I do feel that there is also still a place for the well-written placard: just for us boring old fuddy-duddies, who love detail.
Actors in costumes are selling 'traditional Viking souvenirs' or playing the aforementioned Hnefetafl with all due seriousness, or stamping out Viking coins - each of them ready to provide another snippet of information, like the significance of a particular braid or polished stone. Illuminated kiosks house interiors of houses and workshops with touch activated ghosts to tell of everyday life in the City. There's even a cross between Time Team & CSI which provides the bones & clues and allows you to try to determine the cause of death or the illness suffered in life which might not have killed. Language trails show how the old Norse language survives in place and people names, but also in the expressions used in parts of Britain.
RECENT HISTORY: HOW THE CENTRE CAME TO BE
The centre's origins go back to a major excavation in the Coppergate area of the city that ran from 1979-1981. The moist bog-like layers of soil beneath what had been a sweet factory gave up some 40,000 objects - many of them of the kind that would normally have rotted away such as wood, leather and cloth, providing new insights into the City's distant life. The importance of the finds led to the establishment of the first museum on the site, which opened in 1984, but as everyone knows the archaeologists don't go home when the dig is over…further analysis and investigation into the finds has led to reassessments and refinements that justified the £5m upgrade which reopened to the public in 2001.
This story doesn't end here. A new major dig is underway in the Hungate area and the archaeological society are opening the site to allow visitors to see the work in progress and even assist.
WHERE TO FIND IT & WHAT IT COSTS
The Jorvik Centre is within the Coppergate Shopping centre in the heart of York. Car parking at the Castle Car park (5 minutes walk). The nearest bus stop is at the top of Tower Street (2 minutes). The railway station is approximately 10 minutes walk.
Prices: at the time of our visit (September 2008) entry was: £8.00 for adults; £6.50 for children, With numerous discounts, group tickets or combi-visit deals available (i.e. to combine with other attractions). UK taxpayers willing to 'Giftaid' their entry fee will get free return visits for the next twelve months. For full details see the website: http://www.jorvik-viking-centre.co.uk
DISABLED ACCESS
The website also gives details of information for the visually, hearing or mobility impaired, which is worth checking out because there are some limitations.
I was particularly impressed to see the offer of an accompanied sample of the environment for claustrophobia sufferers, prior to payment being taken.
QUEUES & CROWDS?
The Jorvik Centre has a reputation for long queues. On the wet afternoon we visited, we waited maybe five minutes or so, although this was a weekday & outside of school-holidays. Inside it was busy, but not overcrowded.
Advance booking is available via the website - which also provides details of Group, Corporate or Educational visits.
~ ~ ~
Jorvik wasn't at all what we were expecting - but it was great fun. Children in particular will love it, and anything that gets them interested in history at the earliest age, gets my vote. So if you do find yourself at a loose end on a wet afternoon in York, indulge your inner child and go learn some history.
You never know what you might find: Coppergate for instance has nothing at all to do with copper or even coopers as you might imagine. It comes from the Viking Kopparigat. The street of the turners or joiners. (Of course, it is entirely possible that cooper - for barrel maker - comes from the same source?)
This is a place I have visited, It is fascinating. I found it well worth the cost and there was no waiting on the day I went. Recommended during a visit to York. John
atticusuk 06.10.2008 21:17
I remember visiting this a few years ago.
perfectlypolished 06.10.2008 12:46
My daughter thought this was great, I thought it a bit pricey but still enjoyed it. Lin
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Oct 5th, 2008
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