Transforming Ripon’s Museums for everyone
Ripon Museum Trust is embarking on its most ambitious project to date. Inspiration for a Fairer Future is a transformative £3.3m initiative, supported by The National Lottery Heritage Fund and other generous funders. This landmark project will breathe new life into the Workhouse Museum, conserve our heritage, transform the visitor experience, and open up our museums to a wider, more diverse audience.
What We’re Doing
Over the next three years, we will:
- Conserve and restore key areas of the Workhouse, making them accessible, sustainable, and ready for the future.
- Connect stories across all three museums through innovative interpretation and digital engagement.
- Work with communities to co-produce new activities and amplify voices too often left out of history.
- Expand volunteering opportunities, keeping people at the heart of our work.
- Contribute to Ripon’s regeneration, enhancing pride in place and supporting local economic resilience.
Exploring the Big Questions
Visitors will step into a world where the past meets the present — using history as a lens to explore some of today’s most pressing issues:
- Justice: How do we create fair systems for all?
- Fairness: What does it mean to live with dignity?
- Welfare: How do we care for the most vulnerable in society?
- Inequality: How far have we really come?
As you explore the redeveloped Workhouse Museum, we hope you’ll pause to ask:Was it fair? Could it have been different? What can we learn from the past to build a better future?
More Than Preservation
This project isn’t just about conserving bricks and mortar — it’s about community. It’s about opening the doors of this unique heritage site wider than ever before: welcoming diverse audiences, sparking meaningful conversations, and inspiring people of all ages to think differently about how the struggles of the past can help us shape a fairer future.
Be part of this journey.
By exploring and supporting Ripon Museums, you are helping safeguard an irreplaceable historic building while creating a space where heritage inspires change. Together, we can ensure that the lessons of the past continue to shape a fairer, more compassionate future.