About

Nestled in the beautiful village of Hutton-le-Hole in the North York Moors National Park, Ryedale Folk Museum is Yorkshire’s leading open-air museum.

Through more than 20 heritage buildings, beautifully displayed across a 6-acre site, we tell the history and stories of the people of Ryedale.

Many of our buildings were relocated to the Museum in the 1960s and 70s. You can explore at your leisure:

- Traditional workshops of the blacksmith, cobbler, wheelwright, tinsmith, cooper, saddler and carpenter

- A stunning thatched Manor House from Harome, with colossal crucks rising to the ceiling

- A Medieval crofter’s cottage, an 18th century thatched longhouse and a Victorian thatched cottage, washhouse and dairy

- A vintage chemist and nostalgic village store

- The atmospheric roundhouse, constructed to represent an Iron Age dwelling.

Don’t miss the school room where you can try your hand at being a Victorian teacher or pupil – and wear the mortar board or the dunce’s hat! Or take a photo Edwardian-style in the Daylight Photographic Studio – the oldest of its kind in the country.

Discover our fascinating collection, with 40,000 objects bringing the history and heritage to life! Window shop for a leech bowl at the chemist or browse to your heart’s content in our well-stocked 1950’s village store. Our range of workshops contains fascinating displays of equipment, for saddlery, carpentry and forging.

Imagine what life would have been like by exploring prized possessions, treasured and donated over the years. From bee skeps to a lacemakers’ lamp, vintage weighing scales to a very rare witch post, there is plenty to catch your eye.

Look out for family-friendly games across the site, including stick and hoop, giant Merrills and the coconut shy. Play house in a classic gypsy caravan or try out your steering skills in the children’s tractor zone. And don’t forget to call by the farming area to feed the animals before you go!

In a typical season you may find Manx Loaghtan sheep, Tamworth pigs and traditional-breed chickens, including Light Sussex, Barnevelder, Orpingtons and Yorkshire Pheasant Fowls. In the Foldyard, farm implements and machinery take you through the farming year.

In the summer, the Museum cornfield is in stunning bloom. You can discover the now-rare species that would have been taken for granted by the inhabitants of our cottages, including corn cockles, corn marigolds and large-flowered hemp nettles.

An orchard stocked with heritage fruit varieties and a ‘Dig for Victory’ World War Two inspired allotment garden complete your visit whilst also providing a perfect picnicking area.

We are a dog-friendly site, so don’t forget your canine friends too! All tickets last for a year from the date of purchase – so you can return again and again!