Date: 11 September 2025

New Community Exhibition ‘Sugar, Skill and Shiftwork: York’s Confectionery Workers’ coming soon at York Castle Museum. 

26 September 2025 – September 2026 

York Castle Museum is delighted to announce the opening of a brand-new community-led exhibition later this month, celebrating York’s world-famous confectionery industries. The exhibition, Sugar, Skill and Shiftwork: York’s Confectionery Workers, delves into the lives and stories of the people who lived and worked in York during its sweet-producing heyday.  

York became home to confectionery giants Terry’s, Rowntree’s, and Craven’s throughout the nineteenth century, and by the mid-twentieth century the city was a hub for the confectionery community, manufacturing and distributing products on a global scale. Sugar, Skill and Shiftwork has been curated in collaboration with the public to reveal what life was like for workers and those living in York during this time.  

The invitation to share lived experiences, objects and memories was welcomed by the community following a successful callout for information. York Castle Museum received a range of incredible submissions that have fed into the wider narrative of the exhibition. 

The exhibition guides visitors through the history of confectionery in York, and other areas of working life. Nostalgia is a key theme throughout, with household favourites such as Terry’s Chocolate Orange and KitKat sporting retro wrappers and packaging, reminding visitors of childhood treats. Workers items, uniforms, images, film and oral history create five themed rooms exploring York’s confectionery industries. The exhibition has been supported by York Oral History Society who have generously allowed access to their archives, allowing workers voices to be heard in the museum.  

Philip Newton, Community Participation Manager at York Museums Trust, said: “We are indebted to the public for their support in putting this exhibition together. With generous loans of objects such as Long Service Certificates, diaries, ID Cards, and images, the exhibition builds a picture of the daily lives of those who worked in the confectionery industry. It has granted a unique opportunity to hear people’s stories of their time, or family members time in the factories.  

‘These first-hand accounts have formed a large part of the exhibition content and demonstrate how central these confectionery organisations were in shaping the lives of the local community.  

‘We are very grateful to York Oral History Society for sharing their archive with us. Thanks to their support visitors will be able to hear past voices as well as those who are still with us today. Community exhibitions are vitally important for understanding our shared heritage and preserving local memory.” 

The exhibition is located in the Community Corridor of York Castle Museum. The exhibition is included in your general admission ticket to York Castle Museum, which is valid for 12-months. Sugar, Skill and Shiftwork opens on Friday 26 September 2025 and will run until September 2026.