York Castle Museum Announces New Community-Led Exhibition on the City’s Confectionery Heritage
York Castle Museum is preparing to launch a brand-new, community-focused exhibition celebrating the deep-rooted history of the city's sweet-making industry. Titled Sugar, Skill and Shiftwork: York’s Confectionery Workers, the upcoming display explores the daily realities, memories, and profound local impact of the people behind iconic confectionery giants like Rowntree’s, Terry’s, and Craven’s.
Scheduled to run from 26 September 2025 through September 2026, the exhibition is housed within the museum's Community Corridor. It draws heavily on public contributions following a widespread community callout, bringing together personal diaries, identity cards, long-service certificates, and family photographs to tell a deeply human story of industrial life in York.
Exploring York’s Confectionery History Through Workers' Eyes
During the nineteenth and mid-twentieth centuries, York established itself as a major global hub for sweet manufacturing. Sugar, Skill and Shiftwork captures this era across five distinct themed rooms, offering visitors a detailed look at factory life and the broader social fabric of the city.
Nostalgia plays a central role in the visitor experience, featuring familiar household names and vintage packaging—such as classic KitKat and Terry’s Chocolate Orange wrappers—that evoke memories of past decades. To ensure authentic storytelling, the museum collaborated with the York Oral History Society, whose archives provide firsthand audio accounts from former factory workers. These oral histories, paired with period film footage, uniforms, and work items, allow past voices to guide visitors through the exhibition space.
Visitor Information and What to Expect
The exhibition is included as part of general admission to the museum, which provides access for 12 months. Whether you are planning a visit or exploring local cultural highlights using tools like Musemap, this upcoming display offers a meaningful way to engage with the social history of the region.
To discover other local highlights and plan your itinerary, you can browse museums in York or explore the interactive map of York.
