Ripon Museum Trust has said it is pleased to announce that the Workhouse Museum Gardens will reopen from Thursday 15 April, with a family-friendly trail to guide visitors around the site.
The Trust’s three museums – the Workhouse Museum, Prison & Police Museum and Courthouse Museum – will reopen fully in line with the Government guidance from Monday 17 May.
From Thursday 15 April, visitors to the Workhouse Museum Gardens will be able to enjoy displays of spring flowers, grown using heritage bulbs. Tulips, hyacinths, daffodils and narcissus are all due to flower, creating a colourful display in the style of those seen in Victorian gardens. In the Kitchen Garden, the apple trees are beginning to blossom and the rhubarb collection is in full growth.
The ‘Inside Out’ Museum Trail will help visitors discover some of the fascinating features of the Workhouse Museum from the outside, as well as providing an opportunity to explore the beautiful gardens. The museum buildings will not be open to the public, but a peek inside the windows will give a glimpse of life in the workhouse.
Families can take part in the Bee Happy Trail, learning about nature as they explore the gardens. A candle-making activity will also be available, using sheets of beeswax.
The Workhouse Museum Gardens will be open to visitors from Thursday to Sunday, 11am to 3pm, from Thursday 15 April, plus Bank Holiday Monday 3 May. Tickets cost £5 for those aged 16 and over; under 16s, members and those with annual passes can visit for free. To manage numbers and ensure social distancing, visitors should pre-book timed ticket slots online. Visit riponmuseums.co.uk for bookings.
As a thank you to those buying tickets and supporting the museums, a £5 discount voucher will be given to visitors to spend in the shop when the museums reopen their doors on Monday 17 May. From 17 May, the museums will be open Tuesday to Sunday, plus selected Bank Holidays.
