CLIFFE CASTLE, KEIGHLEY 

Purely a steampunk social day out at Cliffe Castle Museum in Keighley and perhaps partake of afternoon tea at the Cliffe Castle Pavilion or bring a picnic (weather permitting as we know what Yorkshire summers are like!)
A beautiful museum with wonderful grounds which have just been restored. It's ideal for pics / togs with marble fountains* and all sorts of very new restoration. (*Marble fountains are already supplied, do not attempt to bring your own!)
Plus a proper (FREE haha) Museum venue too (and tea room... sadly not free!).
http://cliffecastlepavilion.co.uk/

Trading will not be present - we along with many others need a break from the endless commercialisation and just want days out for days out sake.
We'd love to get things back to basics and bugger about for the day in a new location. đź™‚
This was originally planned by Si for July 2020.
This was before covid and obviously before he passed away.
Be nice to get it back again and 11th April next year will be a day of celebration - my 60th birthday!
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I've yet to make the flyer, this is the one from before.
                  
                  about the venue

Cliffe Castle in Keighley was the home of Victorian millionaire and textiles manufacturer, Henry Isaac Butterfield. The house was a shrine of international art and french decoration. Rooms which dripped with decadence and lavish furnishings hosted many great social gatherings featuring  contemporaries of the Butterfield’s including the Roosevelts of America and members of the court of Napoleon III. The lavish house and grounds eventually became a museum, designed to be free for the people of the district, and opened its doors to the public in 1959.

The museum has expanded over the years to go beyond being a place where the general public can witness the sheer excess of art, artefacts and Victorian extravagance. You can now visit the Natural History, Molecules to Minerals as well as the Airedale galleries. In the Airedale gallery, you can explore the geological layout of the area. Learn how the land was formed after the last Ice Age and how the carboniferous coal measures that fuelled the North’s industrial revolution came to be. In Molecules to Minerals you can learn about the appearance of different rocks and minerals and how we differentiate between them as well as some of their uses. The Natural History gallery is a firm favourite for visitors of all ages. With dioramas, skeletons and models of a vast selection of birds, mammals and insects. Explore the evolution of a specific species and get up close with creatures who are rarely seen in the wild.

Surrounding the museum is Cliffe Castle Park, a beautiful public garden and a recognised Green Flag site. The park was also the first in the district to receive a Heritage Green Flag award. With Victorian ornamental rockwork, marble fountains and a very popular children’s play area, it is perfect for a quiet stroll while you muse over the contents of the Museum as well as providing space for the children to blow off some steam. After a full day out exploring the museum and gardens, you can call into the Pavillion Cafe for some well earned refreshments.

They also have an excellent virtual tour, in which you can happily click through the exhibits, learning and satisfying that sense of curiosity from the comfort of your own home.


Address
Spring Gardens Lane, Keighley West Yorkshire, BD20 6LH
Opening times
Monday: Closed
Tuesday – Friday: 10am – 4pm
Saturday – Sunday: 11am – 4pm

All Bank Holiday Opening Times: 11:00 – 4:00, closed Christmas Day, Boxing Day and Good Friday

There is a small amount of free parking on Spring Gardens Lane and within the museum car park. Please note this allows for 3 hours parking, with no return within 2 hours. These parking places are managed by Bradford Council Parking Services.

There are two Blue Badge parking spaces down the slope from the museum car park which are offered on a first come first served basis. The gates to these car park spaces close at 4.30pm

By public transport
Approximately 12-25 minutes walk from the railway station, 6-15 minutes walk from the bus station. Buses (for example Bradford to Skipton) pass the lower main gates. The 903 bus service operates from Keighley Bus Station and serves Cliffe Castle on a limited basis.

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