CALLS for York's Mystery Plays to return to the atmospheric Museum Gardens have met with a cautious response from the York Museums Trust.

The trust has had responsibility since last summer for the city's museums, art gallery and the gardens, including the historic ruins of St Mary's Abbey, where the Plays were regularly performed from 1951 to 1988.

Since the Evening Press recently revealed that the Plays may not be staged again until at least 2010, dozens of readers have contacted the paper to call for them to be revived in 2005. And many have argued that the production should move back into the gardens.

One typical comment came from Elizabeth Watson, who said: "There is no place to rival this spectacular setting - with the night sky descending and God on high at the top of the Abbey - it is a vision all would remember and should see."

Asked for her views on whether the Plays could be staged in the gardens again, Trust chief executive Janet Barnes said she would not at this stage rule it out.

"We would be happy to talk about it, but our first responsibility must be to the museums and gallery."

She said the trust was keen to increase public usage of and access to the gardens, but future investment would largely depend on the findings of a proposed conservation management plan.

The Trust was currently waiting to hear whether it had succeeded with an application for £50,000 in Heritage Lottery Funding to enable such a plan to be drawn up.

Updated: 08:37 Monday, June 30, 2003