York Castle Museum

About

Welcome to the award-winning York Castle Museum - come and immerse yourself in over 400 years of York's past. 

Come and see hundreds of years of York’s history in one place – from recreated Jacobean dining rooms to infamous Victorian criminals and all the way to the Space Age and the swinging Sixties.

There’s something for everyone this year at York Castle Museum. Our interactive galleries hold thousands of historic objects that really bring the past to life, and our new exhibitions promise fascinating displays and innovative new ways of learning about York’s past.

Don’t forget that kids go free with a paying adult – it’s the perfect family day out.

What's on:

New exhibition - Museum of Broken Relationships - March 2019 - March 2020

Just as Britain is set to break up with the European Union, York Castle Museum brings a collection of stories and symbolic possessions to the city which relate to the ways we fall out of love.

Always heartfelt, sometimes humorous and often deeply moving, the collections from the Museum of Broken Relationships in Zagreb, Croatia, will be enriched with objects from York’s collections which illustrate a key moment in a relationship breaking down.

Kirkgate - The Victorian street that brings history to life

Step onto the cobbles of our Victorian street to meet  the local characters, visit the authentic shops and discover the weird and wonderful collections from this bygone era - from luxurious costumes to tasty traditional sweets and the pharmacist's unlikely 'cures'.

From the luxury of the rich to a darker world of poverty and disease, see how York's 19th Century residents lived, learned and entertained themselves.

York Castle Prison

The museum buildings were once a Georgian Prison, and down in the felons' cells lies a dark a brutal history - a time of rouges, thieves and murders. Visit our infamous residents and shiver at their stories of rough conditions, crooked justice and harsh punishments... watch out for the most notorious inmate of all - the legendary highwayman, Dick Turpin

1914: When the World Changed Forever

From the recruiting office to te horrors of the front line, experience the objects and stories of the First World War. 

Castle Museum Shop

From traditional Victorian games and old-fashioned sweets to 60s books and stocking fillers. Young or old, you'll find that perfect gift.