Home / Arts and Entertainment / Hidden Victorian Cellar Unlocked After 90 Years
Hidden Victorian Cellar Unlocked After 90 Years
5 Jul
Summary
- Museum plans to reopen cellar inaccessible since 1930.
- Cellar retains original stone furniture for food preparation.
- Conservation work aims to enhance Victorian workhouse authenticity.
The Ripon Workhouse Museum is seeking permission to reopen a cellar that has remained inaccessible since 1930. Operators, the Ripon Museum Trust, have submitted an application to North Yorkshire Council for the necessary alterations. This includes removing infill blocking the staircase to allow for repairs to a deteriorating steel beam.
The cellar is noted for retaining many original features, including stone furniture used historically for food preparation and salting. The planned restoration aims to introduce sympathetic building services to support the space's future use as part of the museum.
This initiative seeks to further enhance the authenticity of one of the country's best-preserved Victorian workhouses. The building itself was constructed in 1854 and was in institutional use until the 1940s. Recently, a £2.5 million National Lottery grant helped fund essential repairs, including fixing the roof.
