Journey through the history of confectionery in York – as York Castle Museum announce new community-led exhibition.
It will celebrate York’s world-famous confectionery industries, and delve into the lives and stories of the people who lived and worked during its sweet-producing heyday.
Sugar, Skill and Shiftwork: York’s Confectionery Workers opens on Friday 26 September 2025 and will run until September 2026.
Worker’s at the Terry’s factory at a machine which rolls marzipan thin, stamping out discs for use in All Gold chocolate assortment in 1950, © York Museums Trust
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.
The new exhibition has been curated in collaboration with the public to reveal what life was like for workers and those living in York during this time.
Following a callout for information, York Castle Museum received a range of “incredible” submissions of lived experiences, objects and memories which have fed into the wider narrative of the exhibition.
Sugar, Skill and Shiftwork will guide visitors through the history of confectionery in York, featuring nostalgic reminders like household favourites Terry’s Chocolate Orange and KitKat retro wrappers and packaging.
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 allowed access to their archives, allowing workers voices to be heard in the museum.
Workers making Almond Fudge at Craven’s in the 1970s © M.A. Craven & Son
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.
“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.”
The exhibition is located in the Community Corridor of York Castle Museum and is included in your general admission ticket to York Castle Museum, which is valid for 12-months.
To find out more, visit the York Castle Museum website here.
Workers making Golden Humbugs at Craven’s in the 1970s, © M.A. Craven & Son
Worker’s at a machine rolling out confectionery ingredients at Terry’s in 1950 © York Museums Trust
Workers making sweets at Craven’s in the 1970s © M.A. Craven & Son
