History of the Gardens

Established in the 1830s by the Yorkshire Philosophical Society, York Museum Gardens gardens are famous for their collection of trees, shrubs, perennials, and bulbs.

The society originally acquired the land to build a museum to house its collections. The Yorkshire Museum was opened in 1830 and was one of the first purpose-built museums in the country.

The land was granted to the Yorkshire Philosophical Society under the condition that botanical gardens would be established on the site.

These were created Sir John Murray Naysmith and originally contained a conservatory, a pond and a menagerie.

In 1960, the gardens and the Yorkshire Museum were given in trust to the City of York Council and, since 2002, have been managed by the York Museums Trust.