York Castle Museum facts for kids
 |
|
| Lua error in Module:Location_map at line 420: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value). | |
| Established | 1938 |
|---|---|
| Location | York, England |
| Type | Social history museum |
| Visitors | 246,973 (2016) |
The York Castle Museum is a cool museum in York, England. It sits on the spot where William the Conqueror built York Castle way back in 1068! The museum itself opened in 1938. It's housed inside old prison buildings from the 1700s. These include the debtors' prison and the female prison.
Contents
Discovering York Castle Museum
How the Museum Started
In 1931, a doctor and history lover named John L. Kirk had a huge collection of everyday objects from the past. He wanted to find a home for them. Many places were interested, but York won! The city bought the old Female Prison in 1934. After some changes, it opened as the Castle Museum on April 23, 1938. A big hit was 'Kirkgate', a street that looked just like a Victorian street. It was the first of its kind in Britain!
Keeping History Alive During Wartime
Violet Rodgers became the Deputy Curator in 1938. When John Kirk passed away in 1940, she took charge. The museum stayed open during the Second World War. Violet made sure visitors could learn and even touch some of the old objects. She helped make history fun and real for everyone.
New Additions Over the Years
After the war, the museum grew. The debtors' prison became part of the museum in 1952. Later, in 1963, the 'Half Moon Court' section was added. A special old watermill, called Raindale Mill, opened at the back of the museum in 1966. In 2012, the famous Kirkgate street got a makeover. It now shows more about what Victorian life was like, even including back alleys.
Recent Times at the Museum
In 2017, plans were announced for a big update to the museum. This project aimed to make the museum even better for visitors.
Like many places, the museum had to close its doors sometimes during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and 2021. But it always found ways to welcome people back. For example, it once had a special 'Christmas on Kirkgate' experience with decorations and music.
In September 2023, the Female Prison part of the museum had to close for safety. This was because a type of concrete called RAAC was found in its roof. RAAC is a lighter concrete that can become weak over time. The museum is working hard to fix this and needs support to reopen this important part of its history.
Amazing Buildings to Explore
The York Castle Museum is made up of several buildings. They are located near Clifford's Tower and are surrounded by parts of the old York Castle wall. A special walkway was built in 1969 to connect the Female Prison and the Debtors' Prison.
The Debtors' Prison
The Debtors' Prison was built between 1701 and 1705. It was originally a county jail. This three-story building has a clock tower and strong stone walls. A famous prisoner here was Dick Turpin, a well-known outlaw from the 1730s. You can even visit what might have been his cell in the museum today!
The Female Prison
The Female Prison was built later, from 1780 to 1783. It cost £1,540 to build! The front of this building looks similar to the old court building nearby. Over the years, it was changed and added to. The City of York bought it in 1934, and it opened as the Castle Museum in 1938.
Raindale Mill
Raindale Mill is a flour mill from the early 1800s. It was carefully moved from the North York Moors to the museum grounds in the 1960s. It opened to the public in 1966, showing how people used to grind grain.
Images for kids
-
The two prison buildings, as seen from Clifford's Tower
-
The Female Prison building
-
The Debtor's Prison building
-
Raindale Mill
.JPG)
What You Can See: Museum Galleries
The York Castle Museum has many exciting exhibitions that take you back in time!
Current Exhibitions
- Kirkgate – Step onto a recreated Victorian street! It's named after the museum's founder and was updated in 2012 to show even more of Victorian life.
- Toy Stories – Discover the history of children's toys, from old-fashioned dolls to classic games.
- The Sixties – Explore what life was like in the 1960s, a time of big changes in music, fashion, and culture.
- Period Rooms – See how people lived in different eras. You can walk through a Victorian living room and a 17th-century dining room.
- The Cells – Learn about life in the old prison cells. This display opened in 2009 in the Debtors' Prison. You can even visit the cell that might have held Dick Turpin!
- 1914: When the World Changed Forever – This exhibition opened in 2014 to remember 100 years since the start of the First World War.
- Shaping the Body: Food, Fashion & Life – Opened in 2016, this exhibition looks at how fashion and food have changed over time.
Past Exhibitions
The museum has also hosted many other interesting exhibitions, like:
- Chocolate: York's Sweet Past (2017-2018) – All about York's famous chocolate history.
- A Personal Collections of Vivien Westwood's Shoes (2018-2019) – A unique display of shoes from a famous designer.
- The Museum of Broken Relationships (2019-2020) – An exhibition about the stories behind objects from broken relationships.
Awards and Recognition
The York Castle Museum is a popular place and has won awards!
- It was a finalist for the Visit York Awards in 2015 for "Visitor Experience of the Year."
- It won "Best Attraction" at the Little Vikings Awards in 2017.
- It was "Highly Commended" for "Best Attraction" at the Little Vikings Awards in 2019.
- The museum has also received a Certificate of Excellence from Trip Advisor.
See also
In Spanish: Museo del Castillo de York para niños
