Calm Hour - September

The Puzzling World of Professor Kettlestring is running a Calm Hour on Sunday 13 September, from 3pm to 5pm, with last admission at 4pm. It's one of the inclusive sessions they hold throughout the year, designed for visitors who find the usual bustle of a busy attraction a bit much.

If you haven't been, the place is an indoor, hands-on collection of interactive and educational illusions, billed as York's most brain-tickling experience. The whole thing is built around the fictional life of Professor Kettlestring, born in York in 1816, and you follow his gallery and timeline as you move through. He's credited with inventing the Pocket-Clock Sneezer in 1824, the Enigma Chair in 1847, and the Perception Perturber Room in 1849, before vanishing after living as a recluse for 33 years.

It's a family-owned business, launched on 10 January 2025 by Matthew Tritton-Hughes, and it's picked up four major awards in its second year: Emerging Tourism Business of the Year 2026 at the SME UK Enterprise Awards, New Tourism Business of the Year at the Visit York Tourism Awards, Best Tourist Attraction at the YorkWorks Business Awards, and a Tripadvisor Travellers' Choice Award 2026. Along with these Calm Hours, they also run Dog Days.

It's at 14 Merchants Place, Merchantgate, York YO1 9TU. The session runs from 3pm to 5pm on Sunday 13 September, and last admission is at 4pm.