Victorian costumes and customs brought to life at history talks

THE hidden histories of some of the most fascinating artefacts in the collections of York's Castle Museum will be revealed to the public this month.

Two talks have been organised by staff at the museum to allow visitors to handle items from the social history collections.

The first talk will look at the museum's textile and costume collection, while the second will focus on how the Victorians dealt with personal events, such as births, deaths and marriages.

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The museum's assistant curator of social history learning, Lucy Knock, who will be giving the talks, said: "York Castle Museum has literally thousands of objects and artefacts, but a lack of space means many can't be put on show all of the time.

"This is a rare chance to see and handle such items and hear their fascinating stories.

"One example is a Victorian quilt which is unfinished. If you look at the templates they are made out of personal letters and papers, giving us a glimpse into the life of the person that made it."

The free talks are taking place as part of the York Residents Festival on January 30 and 31. More than 16,000 York residents take advantage of the annual event, which was launched in 1996 and provides free access to some of the city's most popular tourist attractions.

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