Major new visitor experience in Ripon will ‘bring Victorian stories of poverty, justice and survival to life’
The completion of these essential works will ensure the building is preserved for generations to come while creating new opportunities for visitors to explore its powerful stories.
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.
Alongside conservation and restoration of the buildings and important items in the museum’s collection, the project will deliver a new visitor journey, exhibitions and storytelling which connect the experiences of those who lived, worked and endured the workhouse.
Digital technology and community-led co-production will ensure that stories are shared in engaging, inclusive and thought-provoking ways.
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 key historical features.
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