The exciting possibilities and the challenges of transforming York Castle Museum will be up for debate at special events in the next few days.
Plans for the future of York Castle Museum are taking shape, inspired by discussions over the past two years with people who live and work in the city.
In partnership with My Castle Gateway, York Museums Trust are inviting the public to come and discuss the latest ideas with chief executive, Reyahn King, and curator of York Castle Museum, Emma Hamlett, on Sunday 1 September and Monday 2 September.
Reyahn said: “We have spent the last two years gathering the opinions and ideas of our visitors and those who live or work in York and this has helped us build up a very good foundation of knowledge to start planning the future of York Castle Museum in more detail.
“We are now at a stage where we would like to share our initial thoughts and discuss further the ideas to capture feedback to help us further shape the vision.
At these events we’ll be looking at everything from what makes a brilliant welcome for visitors to how to bring to life the incredible histories of Prisons and the museum collections, as well as looking at the serious issues of leaky roofs and financial sustainability.
“Our aim is to incorporate this feedback into the plans and then to work with partners such as My Castle Gateway to ensure when you come to visit the museum and surrounding area you feel you’ve arrived somewhere very special.”
The Sunday events will take place at 10am, 12:30pm and 3pm, meeting outside York Castle Museum. The event includes a walk around the site and workshop.
The Monday event takes place at the Tempest Anderson Hall at the Yorkshire Museum and is more of a formal presentation and discussion.
The events are FREE but please book by going to the My Castle Gateway Eventbrite page or clicking on the links below.
Ideas for the Future of York Castle Museum
Sunday, 1st September
Book your place: 10.00am / 12.30pm / 3.00pm
Meet outside the entrance to York Castle Museum (includes a walk around the site and a workshop)
Ideas for the Future of York Castle Museum
Monday, 2nd September, 5.00-6.30
Yorkshire Museum, Museum Gardens, Tempest Anderson Hall (is a more formal presentation and discussion than the walks on Sunday)
Note on access: York Castle Museum is not currently very accessible. Indeed the museum becoming accessible for people who use wheelchairs, have mobility issues or buggies is a key priority of the new ideas for the future of the museum. This does mean that the walks around the museum on 1st September are not flat access. So if stairs are an issue for you, we very much hope you can join us on 2nd September at Tempest Anderson Hall. For any other access needs, please let us know on [email protected]