Our Collections

The Museum was started in 1967 and the collection grew through the generous donations of local people. Now the museum looks after around 50,000 items including photographs, costume and textile, farming, tools and trades and domestic life. There is also a supporting archive of paper ephemera.

Our stored collection can be accessed by appointment. Please contact [email protected] or ring 01751 473653 to discuss how we can help you.

If you have an item that you would like to offer the museum please email [email protected] with information and images of the objects(s). Alternatively call the number above. We are sorry but we are unable to accept objects without a prior appointment. Donating Objects to the Museum

Object of the month

Each month we delve into our archives to bring you our object of the month. Take a look our past objects.

Cherry Brandy Decanter

This object looks like an ornamental item but it has a functional use as a brandy decanter. The decanter can be seen in our new exhibition What’s in Store where it was chosen for display by one of our volunteers due to its quirkiness! It consists of three dice with different card faces on each side stacked on top of one another. The smaller one is a lid that comes off to reveal the neck of the decanter It is made from milk glass, a type of opaque white glass that originated in Venice in the 16 th century and is sometimes known as vitro-porcelain due to its resemblance to ceramic. It is an unusual design for a decanter which are traditionally made from transparent glass or crystal. In the 17th century wine was transported in barrels so decanters were used to separate the sediment from the rest of the liquid and in the 18th century they became a symbol of wealth and status. This type of decanter was made by the Italian company Buton in the 1950s. Buton was established in Bologna by Jean Buton in 1820. Their most famous product is the Vecchia Romagna Buton Brandy, sold in a triangular bottle from 1939. You’ll find lots of other interesting and unique objects from our stores on display as part of our National Heritage Lottery Fund project from April to September 2025.

Behind the Scenes at the Museum

We're excited to announce that we have been awarded a grant from the National Lottery Heritage Fund for our project Behind the Scenes at the Museum. Did you know that most museums display less than 10% of their collections? So, imagine how much there is in the stores! This project will help us revitalise and reorganise our stores. The grant has provided us with funding to employ a part time collections assistant, create new storage solutions and produce an exciting community engagement programme. Keep following us on Facebook to learn more about the project and the hidden gems we're sure to find along the way. @HeritageFundUK #HeritageFund #NationalLottery #beckislemuseum #pickering

Photographic Collections

The museum is very fortunate in holding the collections of two local photographers Sydney Smith, active between c1905 and 1950, and Peter Harris, active between 1968 and c1995. There are also a number of smaller collections.

The photographs cover Pickering and the surrounding villages from c1900 to c.2000. There is also an extensive camera equipment collection.

If you are interested in purchasing an image from the Sydney Smith Collection or our wider photographic collection you can do so here PicFair We also have a selection of prints available from the museum shop.

Sydney Smith Collection

Sydney Smith (1884-1958) was the youngest son of a Pickering builder. He became interested in photography at a young age, opening a photographic business in Pickering around 1910 before moving it to 13 Market Place in 1914. Sydney married Maud Thompson, they lived above the shop for nearly 40 years, bringing up two children.

The Photographer

From 1914 to 1947, he produced many portraits and postcards. These were to become a unique record of this rural community, from carnivals through to visits of important people to the town to the occasional disastrous floods! Sydney had an artistic eye for a good photograph. He had infinite patience and could wait hours for the sunlight and shadows to be just right. He often entered national photography competitions with good results.

The Legacy

In the late 1960s Maud donated about 2000 images and glass plate negatives to the museum. They had been stored in a garage since the shop closed in 1956. Since then the museum has actively collected postcards and photographs by Sydney Smith and researched the people and places on them. A wonderful collection has now been built up, offering a unique glimpse in to life in this market town many decades ago.

Peter Harris Collection

Peter Harris

Peter Harris was a freelance photographer for the local newspaper The Mercury for many years. He also had a shop and studio on Castlegate. When he retired he became a trustee at the museum and donated his photographic negatives relating to life in and around Pickering from the mid 1960s to the mid 1990s. During this time he photographed local fetes, shows, school achievements, club presentations, sports teams and much more.

Beck Isle Museum