York Castle Museum for families
With Georgian prison cells and a recreated Victorian street, the York Castle Museum in York gives children an eclectic blast of history.
Why visit the York Castle Museum?
You see that fortified tower on the unnatural-looking green hill to the south of York city centre? That’s Clifford’s Tower, the former keep of York Castle. The other buildings on the castle site were built long after it stopped functioning as a castle, however.
But the 18th century prison buildings are now the York Castle Museum, which takes a rather incoherent, fragmented approach to history.
There are several sections about different periods, but the focal point is Kirkgate, a recreated indoor Victorian street. Alongside the cobbles are shops, a police station, a school room, a post office and so on. Some are shop windows, others allow you to go inside and get the proper Victorian experience.
York Castle Museum with kids
The World War I section of the York Castle Museum follows characters from Yorkshire through the war, but in all honesty, it’s going to struggle to grip children. The Sixties section is more for nostalgic adults, too.
The period rooms are mildly diverting, though – showing how houses and rural cottages would look at various points in history.
It’s worth getting the activity sheets at the front desk when you arrive, as these encourage kids to look out for certain objects within the period rooms and Kirkgate. The visit becomes a treasure hunt-style quest to count train carriages in toy shops and find particular ornaments.
York Castle review: The best bit
The York Castle Prison section keeps the cells as they were during the Georgian era. Which is to say, they’re pretty bleak and grim. Inside them, audio recordings of actors playing warders and prisoners play, showing the staff were often more crooked than those locked-up. It’s atmospheric and a little bit gruesome – which, of course, kids love.
Infants, juniors or secondary?
Secondary school students with a genuine interest in the periods covered are likely to enjoy the York Castle Museum most. But junior-age kids will have their curiosity sparked by at least some of it – especially if in treasure hunt mode. There are slim pickings for the under-7s, though.
York Castle Museum entry prices
Tickets for the York Castle Museum are surprisingly expensive. Adult entry costs £17 and child entry costs £10.20. To avoid queues, advance book tickets via the York Castle Museum website.
Prices were last checked and updated on 2 October 2024.
Full day, half day or a couple of hours?
You could eke out a visit to the York Castle Museum for half a day if the kids get genuinely gripped by a section or two. But the main problem with this is that there’s so much to do in York that spending half a day inside the museum seems like a poor use of time.
Attractions near the York Castle Museum
Relatively nearby attractions that can be combined with a visit to the York Castle Museum include:
- The Jorvik Viking Centre in York
- Chocolate bar-making workshops at York Cocoa Works.
- The National Railway Museum in York.
Nearby cities
Aside from York, other cities within a 90 minute drive of the York Castle Museum include Sheffield, Doncaster, Wakefield, York, Leeds, Bradford, Manchester, Hull and Lincoln.
Is it open on Mondays?
The York Castle Museum is open on Mondays, so it’s a viable option for most teacher training days.
More information
For more information, visit the York Castle Museum website.
