With a thriving market place and a magnificent cathedral, this busy little city will earn a place in any visitor’s heart. Reaching out from the market square are small streets and snickets that are home to the eclectic and specialist shops for which Ripon is so loved. Amongst them are cafes and pubs, offering refreshment and home cooked food throughout the day.

This city’s history is entwined with the church, both due to the cathedral in the city centre and its proximity to the nearby Fountains Abbey. The principal attraction of modern Ripon is its cathedral, which was constructed between 1154 and 1520 and displays styles from late Norman to Perpendicular Gothic. The city also has a spacious market square and is a local service and tourist centre for Yorkshire Dales National Park to the west.

See how people lived and worked in the workhouse, meeting interesting characters and exploring stories of poverty, separation and social inequality.

Experience the courtroom dramas of the 1800s exploring this elegant Georgian courthouse, virtually unchanged since its construction in 1830.

Explore the history of local policing in Yorkshire and beyond. There are fascinating stories from behind the bars exploring prison life, and the rogues from yester year.