Ripon Museum Trust

About this activity

Ripon Museum Trust allows you to follow the story of the poor and lawless through three museums, in the heart of Ripon. There are plenty of events, exhibitions and activities for all ages to get involved in and it makes for the perfect family day out. 

The workhouse museum and garden highlights what it would have been like to work in a victorian workhouse before the welfare system was introduced. Your visit will start in the original Gatehouse building and you'll follow an inmate's journey from admittance to where they slept. Take a look at the dining room, pantry, classroom and more and see the original Kitchen Garden. 

The courthouse museum shares stories of the accused and you'll learn about what happened to them after sentencing. The building remains virtually unchanged too! The museum has three rooms, the jury room, justices ritring room and the courtroom itself. You'll feel what it was like to be sentenced and transported thousands of miles across the oceans, with history around every corner. 

The prison and police museum has white washed cells and barred windows and you'll discover the historing policing from the Anglo Saxons to the formation of professional policing. Discover the harsh pirson system in victorian times and you can even have the chance to sit on an original police motorcycle too. 

There are plenty of regular events and activities for the whole family to get involved in, so make sure to check the website before you visit so you know what's happening.