Valentine’s Day reopening for Ripon’s amazing museums

Ripon’s tremendous trio of museums will provide visitors with a lovely reception this weekend 💕

Saturday’s reopening of the Workhouse, Prison & Police and Courthouse will see the museums in Valentine’s mode with themed activities for families that will continue into the half‑term holidays 💘

The heritage attractions at the centre of the city’s visitor experience tell the heart‑rending stories of impoverished people caught in the harsh Victorian regime of crime and punishment 🕰️
It’s a story that people of all ages in 21st‑century Britain can learn from, and is the inspiration for a ground‑breaking new project called For a Fairer Future, which will go live later this year, once major refurbishment works at the residents’ block at the Workhouse Museum have been completed 🔧✨

The project is central to the £3.3 million upgrade currently underway thanks to funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund, and visitors will be able to see for themselves the extent of work in progress 🏗️

Though the residents’ block is temporarily closed, the front block building and entrance will be open for family‑focused activities 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦
Further details about these and the half‑term activities at the Prison & Police and Courthouse museums can be found, along with opening times, on: www.riponmuseums.co.uk  🌐

Museums director Alexa Vernon told Tim Flanagan of the Rejoicing in Ripon blog:
“We can’t wait to welcome back our visitors and volunteers. Our buildings and collections are so special, but what makes them even more interesting is people’s reactions to our places and the conversations they provoke.” 💬❤️