Dated: 02/11/2009

Come Back Free!

Visitors to York Castle Museum have the chance to take advantage of our Come Back Free* scheme for a whole year to see what happened to debtors and felons in the century.

Museum managers are expecting a bumper year ahead with thousands expected to make use of the scheme.

The offer is a bonus for cash-strapped families in this recession year.

Many families are expected to return with their tickets to see a major highlight of this year’s programme, the highly popular York Castle Prison exhibition.

The new installation, which unlocks the original cells of the old York County Prison, where the museum is housed, will tell the often gruesome tales of the prisoners, including the unfortunates who fell into debt in less forgiving times. 

Visitor figures at the successful museum are already on the up this year.

The Toy Stories Exhibition has already proved a hit with the public as has the Sixties Exhibition.

The museum’s famous Victorian street, Kirkgate, has also attracted more visitors.

Michael Woodward, Business Development Director at the York Museums Trust, said: “There’s already a particularly strong programme at the museum this year and we’re anticipating big interest in our Come Back For Free scheme.”

*Tickets are valid for 12 months at no extra charge, so visitors can come back as many times as they want for a year. Tickets are personal and not transferable. Museum staff need to take names and addresses (this information is not passed on or used for marketing purposes). Visitors may be asked for ID on a return visit. If, for any reason, visitors do not wish to give names and addresses, day tickets are available at the same price.