York Castle Museum: I visited a one-of-a-kind street in Yorkshire which gives you a taste of Victorian life

Yorkshire Post

Inside York Castle Museum is Kirkgate, a recreated Victorian street. It was the first to be opened in the UK back in 1938.  The trailblazing idea for historical artefacts to be displayed in such a way was the brainchild of museum founder Dr John Kirk, who the street was named after.  Our reporter went to York Castle Museum to take a journey along Kirkgate, and explore one of the top museums in Yorkshire.

Transcript

00:00Whenever we pull up in York, it tends to be at Clifford Tower, but never before have we been inside York Castle Museum.

00:08So this time we decided to discover the museum, where that street, one of the most famous recreated streets in the world, Kirkgate, is located.

00:21Kirkgate is named after the museum's founder, Dr John Kirk.

00:27When I ask people about the museum before arriving, everyone remembers this street.

00:34Nowadays, you can be immersed in Victorian life, even going into some of the replica shops that once existed here in York.

00:45This was the first recreated street of its kind in the UK when the museum was first built.

00:52It's based on shops that existed around 1870 to 1901.

00:58Costumed staff add to this immersive experience, sharing historical information as you're guided around this jaw-dropping street.

01:08There are three streets like this at Abbey House Museum in Leeds, which were developed later in the 1950s.

01:15We then wandered around the rest of the museum, the other side, the York Castle prison.

01:22Because, of course, this is actually the former buildings of a Georgian prison.

01:28It really is fascinating.

01:30And you can even play in the old prisoner's yard,

01:35as well as see more sights of York by the river around the back of the museum.

01:41After finding out about Highwayman Dick Turpin and all of the other rogues,

01:47we decided to head home and then come back to Kirkgate on another visit,

01:53as our £17 entrance tickets are valid all year around.

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