York Castle Museum offers a marvelous insight into the English way of life throughout the centuries. Highlights include Kirkgate, a perfect recreation of a Victorian street, complete with shops; Toy Stories, a history of children's toys; and a Victorian parlor and 17th-century dining room.
Another fascinating exhibit is The Cells in the old Debtors Prison, including the former Condemned Cell once occupied by highwayman Dick Turpin (the site has in fact been a place of incarceration for more than 1,000 years, with the York Crown Court still holding those accused of serious crimes).
