Lucy Creighton
Born and bred in South Yorkshire, Lucy Creighton is curator of archaeology at the Yorkshire Museum in York. Lucy, 32, lives in the city and she her team have been responsible for presenting the priceless Ryedale Hoard to the public.
What’s your first Yorkshire memory?
I was born in Barnsley, but I grew up in a pretty rural environment near Penistone. Our preferred holiday destinations when I was a youngster were always along that glorious north-east coast of the county up around Robin Hood’s Bay and Staithes. We’d always stay (my sister and I) at the same lovely cottage, which had an attic with a view of the sea, and there would be the screech of the gulls overhead, as we sat there, waiting for the tide to go out, so that we could start our rock-pooling adventures.
What’s your favourite part of the county – and why?
The North York Moors, for the views and the unforgettable scenery. If I have to be specific, it’ll be that area around the Hole of Horcum, where the countryside is out of this world.
What’s your idea of a perfect day, or a perfect weekend, out in Yorkshire?
It would be up on those moors, which are so rugged and beautiful, and there would definitely be a ramble along that section of Roman road that runs across the countryside. The Roman soldiers stationed in Eboracum back in those times would at least have a bit of social life around them, a few taverns and the like, but what about the lads up there, or the ones who had to man the many lighthouses and coastal lookouts,in the middle of February, with a gale blowing? You cannot help by feel sorry for them!
Do you have a favourite walk – or view? It’s between Saltburn and Staithes, on the Cleveland Way, and when we get to the latter, a stop at the Cod and Lobster is a must. Inland, there’s also the Surprise View, on a hill on the very edge of Sheffield, which looks all the way down the Hope Valley. Breathtakingly spectacular.
Which Yorkshire sportsperson, past or present, would you like to take for lunch?
It was great to see so many Yorkshire lads in the Euros last year – so I am going to beg that I am introduced to them all, and that I am allowed to select one (or maybe two or three) from the lineup, and take him – or them!
Which Yorkshire stage or screen star, or past or present, would you like to take for dinner?
Sir Michael Palin. I’ve always admired his writing and his comedy talents, but I’d also like to thank him for the wonderful travel programmes that he made which were (mostly) repeated during lockdown. His way with words, his descriptions of people and places – so very talented.
If you had to name your Yorkshire ‘hidden gem’, what would it be?
Spurn Point and its nature reserve. I went over there not so long ago, and I was completely amazed to find that I was just about the only person there.
If you could own, or have access to, one thing in Yorkshire for a single day, what would that object or place be?
Apart from the Ryedale Hoard? What a privilege it was to get so close and personal to those objects, and to learn so much about them – and yet, the mystery remains of where they came from, and why they were hidden. Can I therefore pick the Emley Moor TV mast, which seems to have been forever in my life, on the horizon wherever I go. I’d like to have access to the very top, and to look at the whole of the county spread out in front of me.
What do you think gives Yorkshire its unique identity?
Mostly, the people. The kindliness, and friendliness, the direct speaking, but also the landscapes, the fact that we have no less than three National Parks. The variety of the rolling Wolds and the flatter southern section of the county, the bleakness and drama of the Upper Dales, the history… there’s nowhere like it.
Do you follow sport in the county, and if so, what?
Not really, but I had a day up near Kettlewell when the Tour de France came through, and I loved
that experience – watching all those determined and very skilled riders.
Do you have a favourite restaurant, or pub?
If you are lucky enough to live in York (as I am), then you are spoiled for choice. But if I must choose the House of Trembling Madness, on Stonegate. It serves great drinks and food, but the building itself has character.
Do you have a favourite food shop?
I love curries but I am not frightfully good at making them. So I rely on Rafi’s Spicebox, in Goodramgate, where you can find everything you need to kid any guests that you are an expert in creating what is on their plate.
How do you think that Yorkshire has changed, for better or for worse, in the time that you’ve known it?
There are many things to improve, and that’s true of wherever you are in Britain. But, by and large, I believe that things are only getting better – far more accessible culture on offer, more independent shops and craftspeople, and the museums and galleries of the county go from strength to strength.
Who is the Yorkshire person that you most admire?
Well, she was in fact born in Syria, but she did live in York for some time. She was the Empress Julia Domna, the wife of Emperor Septimus Severus. Quite apart from her political power, she was a major influence on the fashion of her time, and we have several examples of her in the museum.
Has Yorkshire influenced your work?
Very much so – all the artefacts that we have around us in the museum, for a start, which cover the social history of centuries. Our collection is one of the finest in the world – from the Ryedale Hoard to our Anglo-Saxon helmet, the Middleham Jewel.
Name your favourite Yorkshire book/author/artist/CD/ performer.?I
grew up with Pulp, and I’m staying in Sheffield for a band called Self Esteem, fronted by Rebecca Lucy Taylor. Their latest CD is Prioritise Pleasure. Worth checking out, trust me.
If a stranger to Yorkshire only had time to visit one place, it would be?
York, because the city is the very essence of Yorkshire.
■ The Ryedale Hoard is on display at the Yorkshire Museum, in York’s Museum Garden. www. yorkshiremuseum.org.uk