Ripon Museums

Ripon Museums Within walking distance of each other the Workhouse, Courthouse and Prison & Police museums tell the story of the poor and lawless. STEP BACK IN TIME!

With exhibitions, family activities, guided tours, trails, ghost walks and learning programmes it's a great day out. Walk in the footsteps of past generations and follow the story of poverty, crime & punishment through our three museums.

04/08/2026

Make your own butterfly puppet!
Our Victorian Kitchen Garden is bursting with colour and wildlife — the perfect inspiration for some summer holiday crafting.

Join us tomorrow to create a colourful butterfly puppet with its very own flapping wings. There’s no need to book; simply drop in and get creative!

📅 Wednesday 5 August
⏰ 10.30am–12.30pm or 1pm–3.30pm
📍 Ripon Workhouse Museum & Gardens
🎟️ Included with an annual pass, or £2 per child

Suitable for all ages, although some materials may not be appropriate for children under four. All children must be accompanied by an adult.

02/08/2026

No noise.
No swearing.
No gambling.
No refusing work.
No entering another ward.
No leaving without permission.

At Ripon Workhouse, poverty could mean giving up control over almost every part of your life: your clothes, your work, your food, your movements and even the people you were allowed to speak to.

The workhouse offered shelter from destitution—but at the cost of freedom, privacy and identity.

What would you choose: life outside with nothing, or life inside under constant control?

For many, it was never really a choice.

Learn more and plan your visit to Ripon Workhouse today

We loved welcoming St Wilfred and Colin the horse to the museum today for a much needed drink and a nibble of grass whil...
01/08/2026

We loved welcoming St Wilfred and Colin the horse to the museum today for a much needed drink and a nibble of grass while on St Wilfrids Procession. Our Wilfra cakes went down a treat too!

Credit:James Glossop for the fabulous photo :)

Help us bring back a delicious Ripon tradition!Wilfra Cakes were once baked across the city during St Wilfrid’s festivit...
31/07/2026

Help us bring back a delicious Ripon tradition!

Wilfra Cakes were once baked across the city during St Wilfrid’s festivities, with the apple and Wensleydale cheese tarts placed on windowsills and doorsteps for people to enjoy as the procession passed by.

There is even evidence that similar fruit tarts were served as a special treat to people living in Ripon Workhouse during the celebrations.

On Saturday August 1st we’re reviving the tradition—and we’d love you to join us. Come along to the Ripon Workhouse Museum and help us bake some Wilfra cakes and sample this unusual but thoroughly Yorkshire combination.

As the old saying goes: “Apple cake without some cheese is like a kiss without a squeeze!”

Who’s brave enough to give apple and Wensleydale a try?

What a first week! 🎉In the first seven days since reopening the Workhouse Museum, we welcomed more than 1,500 visits acr...
30/07/2026

What a first week! 🎉

In the first seven days since reopening the Workhouse Museum, we welcomed more than 1,500 visits across our three museums, including returning annual pass holders.

And that wasn’t the only big number…

🎟️ 420 Triple Pass tickets
🏚️ 305 Workhouse Museum tickets
👮 92 Prison & Police Museum tickets
⚖️ 34 Courthouse Museum tickets
🥐 Around 228 treats baked in our Victorian kitchen
🧪 Enough slime to fill a bathtub
🧵 Two textile workshops with artist Poppy Nash

The reopening has also received some incredible coverage from The Guardian , BBC News , Living North Magazine , Yorkshire Living , Museumsjournal , The Northern Echo and even the Smithsonian magazine in the USA! A huge thank you to Cause UK for spreading the word far and wide.

None of this would have been possible without the support of The National Lottery Heritage Fund and the hard work of our staff and volunteers.

Most importantly, thank you to everyone who visited, baked, crafted, explored and made slime during our first week. What a wonderful way to begin this next chapter for the Workhouse Museum.

Look closely at the walls of of the cells inside Ripon Workhouse Museum and you’ll find traces of lives that might other...
28/07/2026

Look closely at the walls of of the cells inside Ripon Workhouse Museum and you’ll find traces of lives that might otherwise have been forgotten.

This graffiti was scratched by real vagrants staying in the cells at Shepton Mallet Workhouse. Their words were recorded in 1928 by an unnamed ‘wayfarer’, who wrote for the Western Gazette about his nights in workhouses.

Together, these messages offer a rare, first-hand glimpse into the stark reality of life for people travelling between workhouses in search of food and shelter.

Then, as now, homelessness was often linked to insecure work, family breakdown, addiction and the experiences of veterans returning from war with nowhere else to go.

You can discover this powerful display during your visit to Ripon Workhouse Museum.

It's Monday, it's the Summer holidays and maybe you're wondering what to do with the kids?Well, this week at Ripon Museu...
27/07/2026

It's Monday, it's the Summer holidays and maybe you're wondering what to do with the kids?

Well, this week at Ripon Museums we've got Victorian Baking Tuesday, Wednesday & Thursday (yes you do get to eat the bakes!) from 10:30am - 3:30pm.

If they love arts and crafts, a textile creative workshop with real life artist Poppy Nash on Tuesday between 10:30am & 12:30pm.

And if you're starting to lose your Marbles, you can get the little darlings to make you some more (from clay) on Wednesday 10:30am - 3:30pm.

All the details are here: https://riponmuseums.co.uk/things-to-do/

And admission to all the activities is included in the price of your ticket.

What story will you tell?This Tuesday July 28th, join textile artist Poppy Nash at Ripon Workhouse Museum and create an ...
26/07/2026

What story will you tell?

This Tuesday July 28th, join textile artist Poppy Nash at Ripon Workhouse Museum and create an artwork inspired by voices and stories from the past.

Cut, layer, draw, paint, glue and stitch your own textile creation. You can take it home or contribute it to a community artwork growing throughout the exhibition.

This is a relaxed drop-in activity for all ages, with no sewing or art experience needed.

The workshop is included in the price of admission or on your annual ticket.

Come along, explore the materials and create your piece of the story.

Find out more: https://riponmuseums.co.uk/events/event/stitching-stories-from-the-past/

Create your own textile story with artist Poppy Nash!Join us on Tuesday July 28th between 10:30am and 12:30pm for a rela...
23/07/2026

Create your own textile story with artist Poppy Nash!

Join us on Tuesday July 28th between 10:30am and 12:30pm for a relaxed, drop-in workshop inspired by the lives and stories of people who lived in the Workhouse.

Using colourful fabrics, archive images, paint, pens, glue and simple stitching, you can create a textile postcard, letter, patch or miniature artwork. Take your creation home or add it to a growing community textile piece made by visitors throughout the exhibition.

The workshop takes inspiration from historic photographs, archive materials and the remarkable embroidered writings of Lorina Bulwer. Your creation could explore kindness, hope, home, belonging—or anything that sparks your imagination.

No sewing or art experience is needed, and all ages are welcome. Children can create alongside parents, grandparents and carers. Stay for as little or as long as you like.

Find out more: https://riponmuseums.co.uk/events/event/stitching-stories-from-the-past/

Ripon Evolve are amazing and we're so proud to have their work featured as part of our new Workhouse Experience! Make su...
21/07/2026

Ripon Evolve are amazing and we're so proud to have their work featured as part of our new Workhouse Experience! Make sure to make time for the Discovery Space when you next visit us here at Ripon Museums.

Address

Workhouse Museum, 75 Allhallowgate
Ripon
HG41LE

Opening Hours

Monday 10am - 4pm
Tuesday 10am - 4pm
Wednesday 10am - 4pm
Thursday 10am - 4pm
Friday 10am - 4pm
Saturday 10am - 4pm
Sunday 10am - 4pm

Telephone

+441765690799

Website

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