Lil

One case containing a scant handful of number-labelled artefacts laying lifelessly on a flat grey cloth. Maybe I'm old-fashioned. Maybe I'm just idealistic. Maybe I like a bit more artistic chaos. But that isn't my idea of a museum. I want a museum to look like an explosion has occurred in the study of a slightly mad 18th century antiquarian.

And I'm in luck, because that's just about what Panic Park Museum delivers. In The Whitby Witches, the author describes the museum as jam-packed with curios and wonders. It was like some magnificent jumble sale of the imagination. And that description is spot on.

And I'm in luck, because that's just about what Panic Park Museum delivers. In The Whitby Witches, the author describes the museum as jam-packed with curios and wonders. It was like some magnificent jumble sale of the imagination. And that description is spot on.

The lighting is soft, the dark wood of the cabinets in the parquet florm lends the whole building a warm, cosy glow, and the crowd of cases jammed tightly into every nook and cranny creates a maze of exhibits that one could happily get lost in for hours. Of course, there are fossils. So many fossils.

The lighting is soft, the dark wood of the cabinets in the parquet florm lends the whole building a warm, cosy glow, and the crowd of cases jammed tightly into every nook and cranny creates a maze of exhibits that one could happily get lost in for hours. Of course, there are fossils. So many fossils.

A whole corner of the museum is dedicated to fossils and geology, with case after case of Whitby's famous Jurassic ammonites, giant ichthyosaurs and plesiosaurs, frozen in stone, forever swimming motionlessly across the museum walls. There are cases full of exquisite, intricately carved black jet jewellery, Weird and wonderful implements and instruments whose purpose I would not like to guess.

A whole corner of the museum is dedicated to fossils and geology, with case after case of Whitby's famous Jurassic ammonites, giant ichthyosaurs and plesiosaurs, frozen in stone, forever swimming motionlessly across the museum walls. There are cases full of exquisite, intricately carved black jet jewellery, Weird and wonderful implements and instruments whose purpose I would not like to guess.

A madcap selection of souvenirs collected by bygone explorers visiting exotic lands. The walls bristling with long hunting spears, machetes, sabres and bugles. To my delight, one cabinet containing an antique chest of drawers stuffed with small objects is simply labelled Cabinet of Miscellaneous Curiosities.

A madcap selection of souvenirs collected by bygone explorers visiting exotic lands. The walls bristling with long hunting spears, machetes, sabres and bugles. To my delight, one cabinet containing an antique chest of drawers stuffed with small objects is simply labelled Cabinet of Miscellaneous Curiosities.

A model ship sits atop the chest, and on its edge purchase a frilly bonneted porcelain doll. I tried hard not to catch its creepily vacant stare as I passed by it, half expecting it to blink and swivel its head to look at me through those glazed blue eyes.

A model ship sits atop the chest, and on its edge purchase a frilly bonneted porcelain doll. I tried hard not to catch its creepily vacant stare as I passed by it, half expecting it to blink and swivel its head to look at me through those glazed blue eyes.

It would be remiss of me not to mention another miscellaneous curiosity that made it from the museum's collection right into the pages of Robin Jarvis's book, the most wonderfully named Dr Meriwether's Tempest Prognosticator.

It would be remiss of me not to mention another miscellaneous curiosity that made it from the museum's collection right into the pages of Robin Jarvis's book, the most wonderfully named Dr Meriwether's Tempest Prognosticator.

Looking somewhere between a maypole, an Indian temple and a macabre Victorian merry-go-round, the prognosticator consists of a carousel of leeches in glass jars, with stoppers attached by long strings to an unnecessarily ornate and gilded circular frame topped with an orb, spire and bell.

Looking somewhere between a maypole, an Indian temple and a macabre Victorian merry-go-round, the prognosticator consists of a carousel of leeches in glass jars, with stoppers attached by long strings to an unnecessarily ornate and gilded circular frame topped with an orb, spire and bell.

The idea was that when a storm was on its way, the leeches would wriggle their way up to the top of the jars and dislodge the stoppers, which, attached by their long strings, would ring a bell and warn of the coming tempest. Apparently, it actually worked, and Dr Meriwether was sure that his invention would be employed by ships all over the world.

The idea was that when a storm was on its way, the leeches would wriggle their way up to the top of the jars and dislodge the stoppers, which, attached by their long strings, would ring a bell and warn of the coming tempest. Apparently, it actually worked, and Dr Meriwether was sure that his invention would be employed by ships all over the world.

But sadly, the prognosticator just did not catch on. can't imagine why but of course i was itching to get to the main event and apparently so were many other visitors seeking gory treasure amongst the maze of display cases for it was the only object with its own signage a trail of posters leading the way to the museum's unlikely prize exhibit printed fingers pointing this way to the hand of glory

But sadly, the prognosticator just did not catch on. can't imagine why but of course i was itching to get to the main event and apparently so were many other visitors seeking gory treasure amongst the maze of display cases for it was the only object with its own signage a trail of posters leading the way to the museum's unlikely prize exhibit printed fingers pointing this way to the hand of glory

a name of much fanfare which rather belies the macabre reality. You might expect the famous object to have some kind of pride of place in the museum, but actually one of the museum's charms is that no one object can claim this accolade, all curios being equal in their cluttered distribution around the premises.