Bier

When I got a message from Thirsk Museum which seemed to invite me for a beer, I thought they were planning to take me out to a pub. It turns out they were calling to tell me about a new exhibit which they have received from Thirsk Town Council. It is a bier, a fine piece of Victoriana which was for decades used to transfer coffins from the horse-drawn hearse to the graveside. It began service in 1877 and was probably built locally. Its spoked wheels look as if they could have been made by one of the many bicycle manufacturers in the late 19th Century. It is a suitably solemn dark brown and was particularly useful if the coffin was unusually heavy. The Museum also has a collection of bereavement cards, the size of business cards, recording in all too many cases the death of a child or adult of no great age….