A snapshot of history as exhibition sheds new light on Roman and Viking artefacts

STONE artefacts dating back to the Roman and Viking eras are being showcased in an exhibition of photographs in a York church.

Members of the York Camera Club have captured images of some of the stonework collection of the city’s Yorkshire Museum, which is currently closed for a 2m revamp, for Beliefs in Reliefs - a Story Set in Stone.

The exhibition opens tomorrow in Holy Trinity Church, Goodramgate.

The venue was chosen to inspire visitors to explore the heritage in the care of the Churches Conservation Trust, including Holy Trinity itself and All Saints at Harewood Park in West Yorkshire, which houses a spectacular collection of alabaster tombs dating from the 15th Century.

The Yorkshire Museum’s director of learning, Martin Watts, said: “This is an incredible selection of photographs that show off our stonework collection brilliantly.

“Their use of angles and light present these ancient engravings and sculptures to us in a new way and you can see things that maybe before you had missed.

“The exhibition is the perfect opportunity for visitors to the city to enjoy these artefacts while the museum is being refurbished and to discover one of York’s hidden gems, the beautiful Holy Trinity Church.”

Among the items photographed is the Roman statue of Mars and stonework from the Viking and Anglo Saxons, and the free exhibition is due to run until March.

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