A museum has promised that visitors will be able to authentically experience the lives of Victorian paupers after a major refurbishment.
Ripon Workhouse Museum was given a National Lottery Heritage Fund grant to conserve and restore its Grade II-listed building.
As well as fixing a leaky roof and rotten windows, the museum has revamped rooms and opened up the original workhouse cellar for the first time since 1930.
Visitors will be able to listen to the sounds of the workhouse, be shut in a vagrants’ cell and dress in 19th Century uniforms.
Alexa Vernon, director of Ripon Museums Trust, explained the building had been in need a lot of care and attention and the money came “at just the right time”.
As part of the project, the museum has introduced sound effects in some of the rooms, such as the kitchen, the washroom and dining hall.
“It really brings the place to life,” Vernon said.
“In the cells you can hear people groaning and coughing, in the kitchen you can hear the bustle.
“This is a really evocative place and the sounds add another dimension.”
