York Museums Trust

York Castle Museum

York Castle Museum remains our most popular attraction and our most important income generator and so consequentially we try to invest yearly into improving the museum for our visitors giving them good reasons to return.

The Studios are very effective in enabling visitors to get the most out of a visit but this year we have been concentrating on creating the York Castle Prison experience. This will be the first time in the history of the museum that the subject of a display is the building itself. Many visitors do not realise they are in a prison dating back to the 18th century. We have cleared out the craftsman workshops which have been there since the 1950's and we opened the exhibition in July 2009.

The Chinese Reflections display was the result of much work with the Chinese community in York and was apart of a regional wide Chinese celebration. The opening was spectacular with a display of Chinese dances, music and memorable Chinese food. A publication was produced to record the display and the project.

We have also made improvements in the Exercise Yard with the medieval tower of the Castle now accessible to visitors.

The Sixties gallery proved to be a great success, providing a vibrant up-beat experience towards the end of a long visit to the museum, attracting many new visitors who have come specifically for this display which is the first permanent gallery in the UK dedicated to the 1960's. The Toy Gallery has been extended and redisplayed, increasing the impact and offer for focused school visits, and increasing the enjoyment for all visitors. The newly decorated space is much brighter and lighter and also includes an area for visitors to contribute their own memories of many of the toys on display.

We have also been working on improving access to Kirkgate, the Victorian Street, by installing a ramp for wheelchair users.