York, England: York Castle Museum

Here's an interesting redevelopment idea. 

Take a very old prison, with a variety of compartments, and turn it into a modern museum.

That's what the city of York did with its castle. The facility is on the site of where William the Conqueror built a prison in 1068, only a couple of years after taking over.  It was built in 1938, but it uses the buildings - with remodeling, of course - that made up three prisons that date back to the 1700s. 

The portions of the museum are devoted to different eras in history, and "eclectic" doesn't do the place justice. For example, a Victorian street has been recreated. It's called "Kirkgate," and the idea had never been tried in Great Britain before. You can get an idea about the scope of the display through the photo.

World War I currently gets a section, and in another portion a prison remains a prison. There's even a tribute to the Sixties at this time, which comes off a little oddly but is still fun. 

Add it all up, and the result is that it's a surprisingly nice place to spend part of an afternoon.