Ripon Museum Trust

The Ripon Museum Trust is home to three museums in the heart of Ripon, North Yorkshire. Ripon Museums are the home of poverty, crime and punishment in Yorkshire. One museum pass is valid for 12 months, meaning once you’ve purchased your tickets, you can return as much as you like for free over the next year.

Things to do at Ripon Museum Trust review

The Workhouse Museum and Garden walk you in the footsteps of the Victorian poor. The grim workhouse atmosphere has been maintained to give you a real sense of what life would have been like. You can follow the life of an inmate through the workhouse and take a look around the main block and its different rooms. The garden outside has been restored with authentic planting.

The Workhouse Museum has a brand‑new exhibition: Would You Survive the Victorian Workhouse? Step into the shoes of Victorian paupers, vagrants and workhouse children as you explore the newly transformed museum. With hands‑on activities, interactive displays and powerful storytelling, the exhibition reveals what life was really like inside one of Britain’s most complete surviving Victorian workhouses. It’s immersive, atmospheric and a brilliant way for families to understand the harsh realities faced by those who lived and worked there.

In the Courthouse Museum, you can learn more about the accused and learn what happened to them after sentencing. You can experience standing in an 1800s dock and waiting for your sentence. The Georgian courthouse has remained virtually unchanged since 1830. There are three rooms to explore, including the Courtroom.

The third museum is the Prison and Police Museum. You will enter the grim prison and explore the history of policing in Yorkshire from the Anglo-Saxons to today. There are many hands-on activities to help imagine the horror of the Victorian prison regime. You will tread the stone stairs worn down by the feet of prisoners.

Important Information Ripon Museum Trust

Is there food and drink available?

There is no reference to a cafe. There are places where you can purchase food and drinks in Ripon near the museum s.

What are the main things to do?

Attraction with 3 different museums – a Victorian workhouse, a Georgian courthouse and a Prison and Police museum with interactive exhibits. There are toilets at the workhouse and prison and the police museum.

What are the ticket prices?

All 3 museums cost £19.00 for an adult, children £15.00. This entitles you to a free annual pass. You can purchase single tickets for each museum at a variety of different prices. Under-6s are free.
Prices are subject to change and/or discounts online.

Is there parking?

There is parking nearby, and charges apply.

When are they open?

The Ripon Museum Trust is open almost all year round; they are closed on Mondays out of season. Please visit their website for up-to-date information.