ONE of the region's attractions is offering visitors the chance to really wind down over the half-term holiday - watching old mechanical toys being wound up.

From tomorrow until Sunday, children's activities will be running daily at York's Castle Museum on the theme of Spring into Life.

Visitors will be able to see old toys on display, play with replicas and take home instructions on how to make their own.

One of the museum's oldest toys, a balancing soldier dating from the 1790s, is typical of the simplest of these moving toys.

It can be rocked backwards and forwards without falling over, thanks to a simple weight attached to it.

Its permanent home is in the toy shop window of the museum's recreated Victorian street, Kirkgate.

Sarah Maultby, assistant curator of social history, said: "The fascination of these toys is how simple they are.

"The ideas behind them have been copied through the years, evolving into the executive desk toys which were popular in the 1980s."

Also on display will be tin plate clockwork toys, made mainly in Germany, which were very popular from the 1890s to the 1930s.

These include a Silver Bullet car dating from the 1930s and made in Nuremburg.

There will also be demonstrations of a 1930s, O-gauge Hornby train set, which will be set up in the museum for the half-term week.

There will no additional charge for the half-term activities which will run between 10am and 4pm.

Published: 28/05/2004