Ripon, NYK Museums

Serving Ripon as a corrections facility from as early as the 1600s, the Police and Prison Museum opened as such in 1994 and underwent significant refurbishment in 2004. Visitors can experience the harsh conditions of Victorian prison life as well as operate prison equipment and machines. A 3 for 1 entrance ticket allows visitors entry into all three of Ripon's museums. Open March through October.

Part of three separate Law and Order Museums in Ripon, the Workhouse Museum provides insight into the life of poor vagrants and labourers during the 19th and 20th centuries. Like its counterpart in Oliver Twist, the workhouse was home to men, women and children of all ages and while outside the museum is an elegant Victorian building surrounded by flowering gardens, inside the 1855 structure remains a grim reminder of harder times and conditions. Open March through October. A 3 for 1 entrance fee allows visitors access to all three Ripon museums.

One of three Law and Order Museums in Ripon, the Courthouse Museum was built in 1830 and remains virtually unchanged since then. Visitors enter through the original Jury Room and can see what a typical 19th century courtroom scene would have been like as well as learning how many people were sent to Australia for such crimes as stealing a pair of boots. The three museums are open March through October and a 3 for 1 ticket is available to all.