The conditions you describe sound like an oxidized varnish. Its natural for varnishes to darken with age. Antique dealers call it patina. In the case of household woodwork, if you want to restore a ligher color, you will probably need to strip the old varnish and replace it with a lighter finish. Varnish can be dissolved and removed fairly easily using certain solvents and steel wool. It is a messy job, but in the end you will remove the aged patina and restore the appearance of the wood grain. Cleaning will not remove the oxidized finish, and you should avoid wood bleach in this case. For cleaning, you should avoid water (murphy's oil soap and water) and use a good quality wood cleaner or mineral spirits. True oil base cleaners won't dissolve the finish (except wax) and will clean without damaging.
Before we get into specifics on solvents and replacement finishes; a quick question: are you interested in renovating the woodwork in this manner? If so, I expect we will hear from Henry in MI with good suggestions.
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