Alexa Vernon Museum Director and Dr Laura Allan, Museum Curator – photo credit Ripon Museums
Step into the shoes of Victorian paupers, vagrants and workhouse children this summer as the newly transformed Workhouse Museum in Ripon opens following a £2.8 million redevelopment. Through hands-on activities, interactive displays and powerful storytelling, visitors will discover what life was really like inside one of Britain’s most complete surviving Victorian workhouses. The new and expanded museum trail takes visitors on an immersive journey telling the individual stories of past residents, who entered the workhouse gates as a last resort.
Lorne Campbell/Guzelian photography. Photos show, children: Zoe, 7, Tom 5, and Laurel, 10. The porridge lady is Liz Penwill, Visitor Experience Officer.
The reopening marks the culmination of extensive conservation and restoration work undertaken as part of the Inspiration for a Fairer Future project, funded by The National Lottery Heritage Fund. Other supporters include The Wolfson Foundation, Garfield Weston Foundation and North Yorkshire County Council.
The largest building on the workhouse site, the Residents’ Block, where paupers ate, slept and worked, has had a complete and sensitive restoration as part of the project. This building had been acquired by Ripon Museum Trust in 2017, but was in a state of disrepair after years of changing uses such as a care home and council offices. The National Lottery Heritage Fund support has allowed Ripon Museum Trust to fix the leaking roof and rotten windows, alongside reinstating historical features to restore its authenticity.
Revamped rooms include the Old Men’s Day Room, Kitchen and Dining Hall, and the original workhouse cellar has been opened up for the first time. Dr Laura Allan, curator at Ripon Museums Trust, said: “The cellar is particularly exciting as it’s the only part of that building that had been untouched since it was turned into council offices. It has the massive original meat block table where the workhouse pigs would be butchered, trough and sink. It’s like glimpsing behind the curtain, seeing how it truly was.”
The hands-on visitor experience is designed to be a unique thought-provoking and engaging day out. Alexa Vernon, Director of Ripon Museums Trust, said: “We’ve transformed the workhouse into a powerful, immersive experience where visitors can step into the shoes of real people who lived through extraordinary hardship. Their stories challenge us to think about fairness, dignity and opportunity, both in Victorian Britain and today.
“This project is about much more than restoring a historic building. It is about preserving important heritage, creating opportunities for communities and young people to engage with history, and inspiring visitors to reflect on how we can build a fairer future.
“We want people to leave feeling not only informed, but also more compassionate, thoughtful and connected to the stories of those who came before us.“
Asking the public, ‘Could you survive the workhouse?’ visitors have the option to be shut inside a vagrants’ cell and listen to the sounds of a night spent behind its locked door. They can also try their hand at sweeping the yard, picking oakum from old ropes, and discover whether they are up to the jobs that filled the days of paupers and workhouse children. Young visitors can search for hidden mice in the kitchen, use traditional weighing scales to portion out meagre meals, and discover what fate might await them by spinning an interactive wheel in the Guardians’ Room. Families can even dress in replica workhouse uniforms for a photo as they imagine life inside one of Victorian Britain’s most feared institutions.
The reopening introduces new spaces for creativity and community participation, including the museum’s Discover Space, where visitors can explore connections between past and present through exhibitions, conversations and creative activities.
Helen Featherstone, Director, England, North at The National Lottery Heritage Fund, said: “The redevelopment has secured the future of one of Britain’s most complete surviving Victorian workhouses, preserving both the building and the stories it holds for future generations. We’re incredibly proud to have been able to support the project thanks to money raised by National Lottery players and it is now creating opportunities for volunteering, learning and skills development, ensuring the museum remains relevant and accessible to all.” The Workhouse Museum is part of Ripon Museums Trust’s unique trio of museums – all located within easy walking distance of each other.
Visitors can continue their journey following the path many people took through the systems of poverty, crime and punishment in Victorian Yorkshire at the Prison & Police Museum and Courthouse Museum. In the Courthouse, visitors can stand where magistrates passed judgement, while the Prison & Police Museum invites them to step inside original prison cells. Together, the three museums tell a powerful story about justice, fairness and social change, encouraging visitors to consider what lessons the past can offer in building a fairer future.
The redevelopment also strengthens Ripon’s position as a heritage destination, contributing to the city’s cultural life and attracting new visitors to North Yorkshire.
For opening times, tickets and events, visit https://riponmuseums.co.uk
