Sugar, Skill and Shiftwork: York's Confectionery Workers

Sugar, Skill and Shiftwork: York's Confectionery Workers is running at York Castle Museum through September 2026, tucked into the Community Corridor. It's a community-led exhibition that looks at the people who lived and worked in York during the city's sweet-producing heyday.

Throughout the nineteenth century, York was home to confectionery giants Terry's, Rowntree's, and Craven's, and by the mid-twentieth century, the city had become a global hub for the industry. The exhibition pulls back the curtain on that era, focusing on the workers' lives rather than just the brands. It's built around objects and memories submitted by the community, with support from the York Oral History Society, whose archives bring the workers' own voices into the room.

Nostalgia is a big part of it. You'll see household favourites like Terry's Chocolate Orange and KitKat in retro wrappers and packaging, the kind of things that probably bring back memories for anyone who grew up around here. It's a look at a side of York's history that most of us know by name but rarely think about in terms of the people who actually did the work.

Entry is included in the general admission ticket to York Castle Museum, which is valid for twelve months, so you can come back and see it more than once. The exhibition runs until the end of September 2026.