Old Police Cells Museum

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Old Police Cells Museum

Old Police Cells Museum, Brighton

The Story of Sussex Policing,
Told Through the Town Hall Cells

10/06/2026

Discover Brighton's Hidden History This Summer ☀️

Visit the Old Police Cells Museum

Whether you're visiting Brighton for the weekend, have lived in the city or county for years, or have a passion for police and crime history, there's a fascinating story waiting beneath the Town Hall.

Join a guided tour and explore original Victorian cells, historic custody areas, remarkable artefacts, and over 180 years of stories from Brighton & Hove's past. From famous crimes and curious characters to the evolution of policing, our knowledgeable and friendly guides bring history to life in the very place it happened.

Looking for something special? Private tours are also available for families, groups, clubs and organisations, offering a more tailored experience and access to additional areas of the museum.

📍 Hidden beneath Brighton Town Hall
🎟️ Guided public tours throughout the summer
👥 Private tours available for groups of up to 15
📖 Perfect for visitors, local history lovers and police history enthusiasts

Places are limited, so book ahead and uncover a side of Brighton that most people never see.

https://www.oldpolicecellsmuseum.com/tours-at-opcm

We are located in the Town Hall, BN1 1JA

Discover the stories that once lay behind locked doors.

03/06/2026

Its Volunteers Week!

And the perfect opportunity to thank our amazing volunteers in helping reopen Old Police Cells Museum after a long period of closure. You are all amazing and are the reason our museum has survived and thrived over the years. The picture here is just a few of our tour guides, education guides, conservation and digital volunteers!

Do you want to volunteer with us?

We are particularly on the look out for Tour Guides (for public and private tours) and Education Guides (for school visits). You don't have to have a policing background, just an enthusiasm for our subject matter, and the confidence to interact positively with members of the public as they visit the museum

Email us at [email protected] if you would like to find out more, or ask us any questions

01/06/2026

We loved hosting Dr Jonathan Oates at the museum last week, where he spoke to visitors about the Brighton Trunk Murders and his new book on the subject. Visitors were able to hear his talk as well as visit the museum on one of our very popular Guided Tours,

Great to dip our toes back into Events for The Old Police Cells Museum! More to Come!

26/05/2026

Last chance to get tickets for our Book Signing and Guided Tour event on Friday (29th May)!

To celebrate our reopening, on Friday May 29th we will be joined by Dr Jonathan Oates, author of The Brighton Trunk Murders and many other true crime books. He will be signing copies of his new book as well as meeting visitors as they join us for the day,
Whether you have booked a tour of the museum for this day or just want to Meet the Author, join us from 10am in Brighton Town Hall (ground floor, Committee Room 1).

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/trunk-murders-book-signing-and-guided-tour-of-victorian-police-cells-tickets-1988480937011?aff=erellivmlt&_gl=1*q50mr8*_up*MQ..*_ga*MTA3MjQ1NjYxNi4xNzc5NjM4NDAy*_ga_TQVES5V6SH*czE3Nzk2Mzg0MDEkbzEkZzAkdDE3Nzk2Mzg0MDEkajYwJGwwJGgw

20/05/2026

A reminder about our event next Friday (29th May)! Book your tickets now.

To celebrate our reopening, on Friday May 29th we will be joined by Dr Jonathan Oates, author of The Brighton Trunk Murders and many other true crime books. He will be signing copies of his new book as well as meeting visitors as they join us for the day,
Whether you have booked a tour of the museum for this day or just want to Meet the Author, join us from 10am in Brighton Town Hall (ground floor, Committee Room 1).

https://www.eventbrite.com/.../trunk-murders-book-signing...

See you there!

15/05/2026

The Old Police Cells Museum Reopens in Style!

A truly wonderful week for Old Police Cells Museum as we held our Launch Event, formally reopening the cells after a 2 year closure.

The Mayor of Brighton & Hove hosted us, and we were joined by the Lord-Lieutenant of East Sussex, Sussex Police & Crime Commissioner, the High Sheriff of East Sussex, the Chief Constable of Sussex Police, Author Peter James, Nigel Drake, son of our founder Pat Drake, and many other guests, including representatives from Brighton & Hove City Council as well as trustees and volunteers. We also warmly welcomed Brighton Police Cadets and some beautiful retro police cars.

Our first public tours are this Saturday 16th May and we are sold out! You can book future tours with our brilliant tour guides via the link below

https://www.oldpolicecellsmuseum.com/tours-at-opcm

11/05/2026

We spent the month of April hosting lots of people and organisations as part of our soft launch. This has been so helpful in our preparations for reopening to the public.

A big thank you to: Sussex Police and Crime Commissioner Sussex Police Mayor of Brighton & Hove Brighton & Hove City Council University of Brighton Sussex Police Federation Police History Society Brighton Museums Visit Brighton, Brighton & Hove Registrars and Bow Street Museum

And another big thank you to all the organisations we have worked with in helping us revamp our museum.

We reopen from May 16th! Book your tickets below!

https://www.oldpolicecellsmuseum.com/tours-at-opcm

Tours —

Address

Bartholomew Square
Brighton
BN11JA

Website

https://linktr.ee/opcm

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