With three museums to explore, Ripon Museums are ideal for a family day out.
Discover the story of poverty, crime and punishment in Yorkshire and learn about how people lived in Victorian times.
Wander the corridors of the Victorian workhouse and explore the cells where vagrants slept. Visit the schoolroom and see what learning was like for children in the 1800s. Get outdoors and explore the gardens and see what food was grown by the workhouse inmates.
Enter the prison with its whitewashed cells and barred windows. Learn about the history of policing in Yorkshire and the punishments Victorian criminals might expect to receive.
Don’t forget a trip to the elegant Liberty courthouse, where the accused stood trial.
FAQs
Our ticket prices vary, as visitors can choose to explore one museum or buy a museum pass that offers access to all three museums and is valid for 12 months.
We offer two family passes, which give visitors access to the Workhouse Museum, Prison & Police Museum and Courthouse Museum.
- The Family & Friends ticket costs £36.00 and includes up to two adults and three children (6-15yrs).
- A Small Family ticket costs £26.00 and gives entry to one adult and one child (6-15yrs).
Children aged 5 and under get free entry. A full list of our ticket prices is available here.
Toilets are available at the Workhouse Museum and the Prison & Police Museum. There are public toilets available in Minster Place, outside the Courthouse Museum.
Yes, baby changing is available at the Workhouse Museum.
We welcome breastfeeding in our museums. Please speak to a member of our team if you need access to a quiet space.
Unfortunately, we don’t have a café at any of our sites. We do have several benches in the gardens that visitors are welcome to use if you would like to bring your own refreshments. The museums are close to Ripon City Centre, where there are cafés and shops that sell food.
We run regular family activities during the school holidays, including arts and craft workshops, museum trails and Victorian games. Take a look at our What’s On page to see what events are coming up.
Yes. We have a dedicated shop at the Workhouse Museum, with a smaller selection of items to buy at the Prison & Police Museum.
Visitors are welcome to bring prams or pushchairs with them. Our museums are all housed in historic buildings, so there are some uneven floors, narrow doorways and stairs. A lift is available at the Workhouse Museum and the Prison & Police Museum. There is also an access ramp in the Workhouse Museum Garden.
The closest car park to our museums is St Marygate, where you can park for £2 for over four hours. The car park postcode is HG4 1LX. It is just across the road from the Prison & Police Museum and is about a five-minute walk to our other museums.
