Events
Click here to skip to the area you are interested in: Summer Fun, Chocolat events Workshops, lectures and tours, Curators' Talks, The Life and Times of George III.
Summer Fun
Come and join us during the school summer holidays for a closer look at some of our fantastic objects and some family fun activities inspired by them.
Drinking Chocolate
11 July - 8 August, All day, every day
Come and find out about the long history of drinking chocolate. Sample some of the unusual flavours and explore the different ways the drink has been served and drink. Which will you prefer?
Sweet Talk
9 August - 31 August, All day, every day
Say it with sweets! Track the story of sugar moulding from medieval sugar plate, Georgian sugar sculptures, Victorian 'kissing comfits' to the Love Hearts of today. Have a go at making your own sweet messages.
Footsteps
24 July - 31 August, All day, every day
Step in and find out about our amazing shoe collection, from a giant's shoe to tiny dolls' shoes. Compare your shoes with examples from the past. Discover how shoes were made and cared for and have a go at lacing a Victorian boot.
A Body of Evidence
24 July - 28 August, All day, every day
Can you solve our Civil War puzzle? Travel back to the Siege of York in 1644. Investigate evidence from the past and decide how best to equip your soldier for the approaching Battle of Marston Moor.
York's Big City Read 2010 - a summer-long festival of events across the city inspired by Joanne Harris's book, Chocolat.
Click here to download full programme, or see below for our events.
Drinking Chocolate - see above
daily until 8 August
Chocolate!
8 August, 9.30am - 4.30pm
Join Sophie Jewett, local chocolatier, as she demonstrates some of the tricks of the trade in our Kitchen Studio. Explore how chocolate used to be made and have a taste too!
York's "Chocolaty" Past
23 August, 12.30pm, at York Library
Our curator Sherri Steel gives a talk at York Library about the history of drinking chocolate in York and shows some of the surviving artefacts from our collections.
Chocolate for Drinking
19 September, 5pm, in St Sampson's Square, York
Join Sherri Steel, our curator, in York city centre as part of York Festival of Food and Drink, as she explores the history of drinking chocolate, from an early high-society luxury item to its present incarnations.
A Taste of History
25 September, 6pm
Join our curator Sherri Steel, and Sophie Jewett, chocolatier and founder of York Chocolate Club, as they take you on a sensory exploration of York's rich chocolate history. This adult event will include a chance to explore some of the museum's collections from Terry's and Rowntree's as well as a chocolate demonstration and tasting.
To book tickets, price £5, telephone 01904 650333.
Fashion with Mary Brooks
Join award-winning curator and conservator Mary Brooks for three evenings looking at fashion. All cost £10 per person. To book, telephone 01904 650333.
Mad as a Hatter?
7 October, 6pm - 7.30pm
Discover our collection of hats with Mary Brooks and explore themes including why and when we wear hats, how they were made and how mercury poisoning created "mad hatters", how their manufacture affected species in the natural world and about hat making and selling in York.
A Walk on the Wild Side
14 October, 6pm - 7.30pm
Join Mary Brooks on an exploration of the humble shoe, including a survey of shoe styles, function or fashion?, shoes and health, good and bad magic, ecological and ethical issues, shoemaking and shoe selling in York and the York Cordwainers.
Fashion Victims
21 October, 6pm - 7.30pm
This lecture will explore the darker side of the quest for beauty. It will look at the materials and methods used in creating fashions and the effects of extreme fashions on the wearer.
Torch-lit Tours
29, 30 and 31 October, 7pm - 9.30pm
Picture used courtesy of The Northern Echo
Delve into the murky history of York Castle Museum in this rare glimpse of its hidden darker side. By torchlight, you will explore the inner depth of the site that has been at the hear of York's crime and punishment for almost 1,000 years, uncovering some of the many gruesome stories of its former inhabitants.
£10 per person (including light refreshments). To book a place, telephone 01904 650333.
Cauldron Cookery
23 November, 1.30pm - 3.30pm
In the past many households did all their cooking on an open hearth. Find out about what equipment was used and what foods were cooked. How do you get meat, two veg and a pudding all cooking in the same pot at the same time?
£5 per person (includes light refreshments). To book a place, telephone 01904 650333.
A Victorian Christmas
4 December, 1.30pm - 3.30pm
Many of today's Christmas traditions began with the Victorians. Using manuals and magazine from the time, help us prepare for a Victorian celebration, from table laying and tableware to exploring popular gifts, music and foods. Help your Christmas go with a bang by making your own Victorian inspired cracker.
£5 per person. To book a place, telephone 01904 650333.
All these lunchtime talks are free (aside from usual admission charge) and run from 12.30pm - 1pm, no need to book.
Cook's books
15 September
Superstitions and customs
13 October
Georgian delftware
17 November
Christmas cards
15 December
By George! The Life and Times of George III
Throughout 2010, talks run from 12pm to 1.30pm
To commemorate the 250th anniversary year of the ascendancy of King George III we will be hosting a series of talks exploring various aspects of Georgian Britain throughout 2010. Join David Bagnall, local expert on 18th Century studies and discover how George's reign witnessed some of the moments and people that shaped Britain and the world.
Free (excluding Food )
To book a place, phone 01904 650333.
Art
24 June
Exploring the works of Hogarth, Gainsborough, Reynolds, Allan Ramsay, Rowlandson and Gilray.
Music
26 August
The transition from Baroque to Classical and the works of Handel (George III's favourite composer), Charles Avison, William Shield, Haydn and JC Bach (son of the more famous JS Bach).
Food
Date to be confirmed, £15 per person
Join renowned food historian Ivan Day for an exclusive talk, demonstration and taste of Georgian food and cookery in our fully functional Kitchen Studio.
The King
25 October
On 25 October, 1760, George III was crowned King of England. Discover more about the man himself and his reign, including his infamous "madness".
War
28 October
Explores the significance of the Seven Years War (1756 - 1763) to the British Empire and how the role of William Pitt the Elder and George II's conduct and attitude to the war contrasted to George III's. Also examines how war was conducted in the 18th Century and the impact of the American War of Independence.
Letters
17 December
The influence of Dr Johnson and his meeting with George III (as recounted in Boswell's Life). We also focus on the writings of Gibbon, Goldsmith and Voltaire and the Age of the Enlightenment.
"I thoroughly enjoyed my visit to York Castle Museum this half term. I am a 14-year-old student and have visited York Castle Museum since I was 2 years old. This visit was just as enjoyable as the first and York Castle Museum is still my favourite museum."
Visitor to York Castle Museum
