Designed in a Greek Revival style and opened in 1830, the museum is a Grade I listed building and is one of the longest established museums in England. 

Once one of the most prosperous abbeys in Northern England, the original church  was founded in 1055 and dedicated to Saint Olaf.  In 1137 the abbey was badly damaged by a great fire. The surviving ruins date from a rebuilding programme begun in 1271 and finished by 1294.