Ripon MuseumsThe Yorkshire Law and Order Museums |
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Ripon MuseumsThe Yorkshire Law and Order Museums |
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Visit the three fascinating Yorkshire Law and Order Museums in Ripon.
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Courthouse MuseumThe Georgian Courthouse remains virtually unchanged since it was built in 1830. Following closure of the Court in 1998 it was opened as a museum a year later. In 2005 its interiors were redecorated in the original colour scheme used when the building opened at Michelmas 1830. Stand in the dock and be sentenced, learn about the 18th century King's Proclamation against Vice and watch the audio-visual presentation of cases heard in the Court's opening session. Find out about the people who were transported to Australia for stealing as little as a pair of boots and see a cat o'nine tails as used on the transport ships in the exhibition "One Way to Botany Bay" ... more |
Prison and Police MuseumThe complex of buildings in St Marygate served Ripon as the House of Correction for Vagrants (1686-1816), Liberty Prison (1816-1878) and Police Station (1887-1956). The Museum, first opened in 1984, reopened in 2004 following a complete refurbishment. Sit in a prison cell, hear the door slam shut and imagine the harsh conditions of Victorian prison regimes. Try on prison uniforms, imagine the horror of being set in the pillory, strapped in a restraint chair or hung in chains. Turn the crank, carry out shot drill or work the treadmill. The history of policing is traced through displays of uniforms and artefacts from the Trust's extensive collections of police and prison memorabilia ... more |
Workhouse MuseumAlmost all the buildings of the 1854 Ripon Union Workhouse have survived. In 1996 the Trust opened the Workhouse Museum in the cell block which had originally housed male vagrants. Care has been taken to recreate its grim atmosphere. Imagine being deloused in the ablution room, sitting down to a bowl of gruel in the dining room and being locked into one of the 14 cells at nightfall. At daybreak there would be work to do, in exchange for a pint of porridge - chopping wood or breaking stones in the work yard. An insight into the harsh conditions of life experienced by the poor in Victorian times, both in and out of the Workhouse, can be gained from a visit to the 'Hard Times Gallery"... more |
Together the three museums tell a sorry and interwoven story of Law and Order in times past. Malefactors would be incarcerated at the Prison or Police Station before being taken to the Courthouse for trial. If a custodial sentence or transportation were imposed a family might be deprived of its breadwinner, perhaps leading to its remaining members being forced to seek the 'relief' of the Workhouse.
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