The Craven Museum and Art Gallery was born on 6 October 1928 thanks to a group of enthusiasts with the aim of hosting a series of existing collections including the finds from the excavations of the Elbolton cave, the Craven herbarium and the collection of hillocks of the barrier coral by Richard Tiddeman. Over the centuries the museum has continued to collect more and more objects for its collection thus increasing its volume and value. The museum holds a great variety of finds ranging from prehistoric times to the present day. The objects, of different nature, come from all over the world, from Italy to Egypt. Also in the museum are biology collections including Colonel Tottie's 19th century bird egg collection, entomology collection, botany collection and zoology collection. The section devoted to geology includes a variety of rocks, minerals and fossils. The archaeological finds range from the Paleolithic to the post-medieval period, many of which have been found in local excavations. The museum also features a collection of artifacts associated with Craven's social history. Thanks to these objects, domestic life is described with an exhibition of household appliances, childhood with a collection of toys, working life with exhibitions on agriculture and lead mining and important characters of Craven such as the girls of the calendar, co-founders of Marks and Spencer, Thomas Spencer and Thomas Cresap, who became a pioneer in America. The museum has an eclectic collection of oil and watercolor paintings, prints, textiles and sculptures, many made by local artists.