National Justice Museum

National Justice Museum The National Justice Museum is an award-winning museum and education provider with the UK’s largest law, justice, crime and punishment collection.
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Share your visit with us using The National Justice Museum is based in Nottingham’s former Shire Hall and County Gaol, a Grade II* listed building featuring a Victorian criminal and civil courtroom, an Edwardian police station and exhibitions exploring the fascinating history of justice. We house historically significant collections of over 40,000 objects that cover the history of t

he British Criminal Justice System. On our social media channels, we share stories from our building’s true crime history, as well as news about our upcoming events and exhibitions on the complex and multi-faceted themes of social justice. All of this content is created with the help of our expert team of historians, researchers, and curators. We like sharing our stories with you and encouraging conversation and debate. We would ask people engaging with us to be kind and respectful to each other, our staff, and those working with us. We reserve the right to hide or block comments that breach our social media policy. If you would like to report a comment or post, please message us, or use Facebook's reporting tools. View our Social Media Moderation Policy here: https://www.nationaljusticemuseum.org.uk/museum/social-media-moderation-policy

Please note that comments made by others do not represent the views of the National Justice Museum.

Did you see the new statue unveiled in the Broad Marsh Green Heart last week? Notts TV has a lovely piece covering the S...
11/02/2025

Did you see the new statue unveiled in the Broad Marsh Green Heart last week?

Notts TV has a lovely piece covering the Standing In This Place sculpture, its meaning and its significance to Nottingham.

Find us on Notts TV around 7 minutes and 25 seconds: https://nottstv.com/programme/notts-today-thursday-6th-february/

11/02/2025
You can help decide the winner!The ‘Picture This: Hope Exhibition’ is the inspiring collection of all the black and whit...
10/02/2025

You can help decide the winner!

The ‘Picture This: Hope Exhibition’ is the inspiring collection of all the black and white photographs submitted in 2024. The exhibition is now open for visitors to explore for free and will be in the museum until Sunday 16 March 2025. The winners of the People's Choice Award will be announced on Saturday 22 March.

You can vote for your People's Choice Award winner in the exhibition or by liking your favourite image in our Hope Facebook album

https://www.nationaljusticemuseum.org.uk/museum/events/picture-this-hope

With half-term right around the corner, why not book a visit to the National Justice Museum and The City of Caves? Sprea...
09/02/2025

With half-term right around the corner, why not book a visit to the National Justice Museum and The City of Caves?

Spread over five floors, our museum houses a Victorian courtroom, Georgian gaol, and cells that date back hundreds of years!

Through real spaces, real objects and real stories, we explore the impact that justice and the law have on you, your community and society.

Browse remarkable collections and examine fascinating objects that bring justice and the law to life in extraordinary ways – including our dressed-for-the-part characters who are only too happy to share a host of illuminating stories.

Then head down to The City of Caves, where you can discover the largest publicly available section of this vast underground network. Enjoy a memorable adventure in history at the heart of this subterranean wonder.

With our joint tickets, you can explore both amazing venues on the same day!
https://www.nationaljusticemuseum.org.uk/museum

Due to popular demand, we’ve added an extra date to our next Crime Club!Crime Club: Murder in the Roaring 20’s has sold ...
08/02/2025

Due to popular demand, we’ve added an extra date to our next Crime Club!

Crime Club: Murder in the Roaring 20’s has sold out in March, but never fear, we’ve added a new date on Thursday 10 April. Get your tickets now!

Crime Club covers real crimes, real stories and real evidence.

We will be covering the last ex*****ons to take place in Nottingham, which occurred in the 1920s. Not all of those who met the noose in the city were from here. Discover their crimes and the end to the story of ex*****on in Nottingham.

Tickets are £14 full price and £12 concession, with a free drink included in your ticket.
https://www.nationaljusticemuseum.org.uk/museum/events/crime-club-roaring-twenties

Explore the museum in the dark as you hear tales of our paranormal experiences from both guests and staff.We have docume...
07/02/2025

Explore the museum in the dark as you hear tales of our paranormal experiences from both guests and staff.

We have documentation of a building on this site all the way back to medieval times, with 650 years as a court...could some energies still linger long after the people have died?

Tickets £13 full price and £12 concessions

Select dates from Saturday 8 February to 29 March 2025, 6pm

https://www.nationaljusticemuseum.org.uk/museum/events/ghosts-of-the-gaol

Today, we are celebrating the hard work and dedication that has gone into the creation of the new sculpture you will fin...
06/02/2025

Today, we are celebrating the hard work and dedication that has gone into the creation of the new sculpture you will find in the Green Heart at Broadmarsh in Nottingham.

Standing In This Place: A Sculpture & Heritage Project was created by sculptor Rachel Carter Sculpture & the Legacy Makers and commissioned by The National Justice Museum

This ambitious new sculpture will give representation to the under-represented, give voice and recognition to the contributions of thousands of unnamed women who were the driving forces behind the East Midlands cotton textile industry during Industrialisation.

The statue’s inclusion in a public park places Nottingham at the forefront of historic female recognition; and makes Nottingham a regional, national and global leader in acknowledging the significant contribution women have made to the British economy and society in their roles as enslaved workers in the Americas and Caribbean and as factory workers in industrial Britain.

Congratulations to the people whose images of Hope have been shortlisted for The Creative Residency Prize!'Picture This:...
05/02/2025

Congratulations to the people whose images of Hope have been shortlisted for The Creative Residency Prize!

'Picture This: Hope', is an inspiring collection of black and white photographs, submitted by professional and amateur photographers from across the UK, that capture the essence of Hope.

Shortlist for The Creative Residency Prize:
Anthony Fisher - Self Portrait In Garden
Clair Robins - 52 Weeks - Stolen & Preserved (Future)
Gemma Poyzer - Into the Woods
Jahid Apu - Hand In Hand
James Mellor - Metamorphosis 2024
Latoya Okuneye - Fourteen
Lucy E Wakefield - Hope On The Horizon
Marcia Porto - Of Dreams and the Earth
Omari Taylor - Subsistence
Timon Benson - About to Leave (2023)

https://www.nationaljusticemuseum.org.uk/museum/events/picture-this-hope-celebration

This Light Night, let your creativity flow with graffiti artist kid30 (smallkid) at the National Justice Museum for a fr...
03/02/2025

This Light Night, let your creativity flow with graffiti artist kid30 (smallkid) at the National Justice Museum for a free UV doodle room workshop.

Join us for Shine a Light on Hope - A UV doodle room workshop on Saturday 1 March, from 5.30pm-8pm.

Add your designs to words and images of hope and light inspired by our current photographic exhibition on Hope. Then watch your designs illuminate the space under the gleam of UV lights, creating glimmers of joy.

More information at: https://www.nationaljusticemuseum.org.uk/museum/events/light-night-small-kid

Congratulations to the young people whose images of Hope have been shortlisted for The Young Person’s Award! 'Picture Th...
02/02/2025

Congratulations to the young people whose images of Hope have been shortlisted for The Young Person’s Award!

'Picture This: Hope', is an inspiring collection of black and white photographs, submitted by professional and amateur photographers from across the UK, that capture the essence of Hope. We’d like to invite you to our free Picture This: Hope Celebratory Event on Wednesday 26 February.

Here is the shortlist for The Young Person's Award:
Abi OBrien – Dolly
Amy Marlow-Kirk - Showing our pride from within
Daniel Range - Dear Dad
Hannah Clark - Light At The End Of Tunnel
Harvey Wright - Iron Dad
Jasmine Donnelly - A dog called hope
Josh Cooper – Sunflowers
Lowan Woodford – Hope
Olivia Pierce - International Peace Crane
Teresa Holdsworth Ubeda - Ad Astra Per Aspera

The winners of The Young Person's Award have been chosen by our panel of independent judges and will be announced during the evening! Reserve your free place at the celebration evening here: https://www.nationaljusticemuseum.org.uk/museum/events/picture-this-hope-celebration

01/02/2025

On this day 193 years ago, three young men were hanged on the front steps of the Shire Hall.

George Beck (20), George Hearson (22), and John Armstrong (26) were found guilty on January 4th, 1832, for their part in the Reform Bill Riots.

The riots took place in October 1831, when the right to vote was denied to most men.

On the 31st of January 1905, 29 year old John Hutchinson was arrested for the murder of four year old Albert Matthews.  ...
31/01/2025

On the 31st of January 1905, 29 year old John Hutchinson was arrested for the murder of four year old Albert Matthews.

John lodged with the Matthews family and, on the day of the murder, had been heavily drinking with Albert’s father at the Millers Arms before returning to the house.

Mrs Matthews asked if John could look after her son while she went to work. What happens next is unclear, but we do know that John claims to have blacked out before returning to the pub, where Albert’s father was still drinking. John told Albert’s father he had put the child to bed.

John announced he was off to see his sister but instead handed himself into a policeman upon leaving the pub.

Before John could lead the policeman back to the house, Mrs Matthews arrived home from work and came upon the bloody scene. A neighbour heard screams and went to investigate. In court, he described the scene as “like a slaughterhouse. And the poor kid – well I shouldn’t see such a sight again for £20”. Which today would be roughly £2,063!

While the police investigated the crime scene, John calmly chatted with a neighbour outside the house and had a cigarette, seemingly unconcerned while in handcuffs.

John’s defence lawyer tried to save him from the death penalty by claiming insanity. He detailed a family history of insanity and su***de, as four members of John’s family had died by su***de in Carlton and two more were in a lunatic asylum.

The jury took only 20 minutes to conclude that John was guilty and Judge Mr Justice Phillmore sentenced him to death. John shouted at the jury “F*^k the lot of you” as he was led away!

John was hanged three weeks later at Bagthorpe Prison, which is now Nottingham Prison in Sherwood.

Who could have done the dastardly deed? Vote below using a reaction for each of the suspects:👍 Like if you think it is t...
30/01/2025

Who could have done the dastardly deed? Vote below using a reaction for each of the suspects:

👍 Like if you think it is the Youth Worker
❤️Love if it might be the Barrister
🥰Care if it could have been the Police Officer
😂Haha if the Caretaker is the one

The year is 1987, and the courts are moving from Shire Hall to their new homes by the canal. After completing their last case at the Shire Hall a few months ago, the presiding Judge disappeared...could something have happened?

Gather all the evidence at our Valentine’s Murder Mystery to try and solve the case before the end of the night!

Saturday 15 February, 7pm
Tickets are £24.99, which includes a cocktail/mocktail.

https://www.nationaljusticemuseum.org.uk/museum/events/cocktails-and-crime-dont-leave-me-this-way

May the new year be full of hope, laughter, and wonderful successes. Happy Lunar New Year!How are you celebrating?
29/01/2025

May the new year be full of hope, laughter, and wonderful successes. Happy Lunar New Year!

How are you celebrating?

On behalf of Cecilia Mwenda, HEAL Collective and the National Justice Museum, you are warmly invited to the film premier...
28/01/2025

On behalf of Cecilia Mwenda, HEAL Collective and the National Justice Museum, you are warmly invited to the film premiere and Call-to-Action for 'Cecilia's Story: Ghosts of Yarl's Wood' - an East Midlands-based creative advocacy project that sheds light on the injustices embedded within the asylum and immigration detention systems and calls for change to them.

Join us on Thursday 30 January, from 6-8pm. Tickets are free but booking is essential as places are limited.

‘Cecilia’s Story: Ghosts of Yarl’s Wood’ is a documentary film and visual storyboard exhibition running in the Project Lab at the National Justice Museum. Join us to celebrate this inaugural project for HEAL Collective, and to find out ways you can respond to Cecilia’s Call to Action.

Please note: the film contains content some might find distressing and is recommended for ages 12+.
https://www.nationaljusticemuseum.org.uk/museum/events/cecilias-story-film-screening

The shortlist for The Creative Residency Prize and for The Young Person's Award are now live on our website. The winners...
27/01/2025

The shortlist for The Creative Residency Prize and for The Young Person's Award are now live on our website.

The winners of the Creative Residency Prize and The Young Person's Award have been chosen by our panel of independent judges and will be announced during the Picture This: Hope Celebratory Event!

Join us on Wednesday 26 February, 5.30pm-7.30pm, refreshments will be provided and guests are invited to explore the Picture This: Hope exhibition and see how our communities have been responding to its themes.

Tickets are free to reserve, but space is limited, so make sure to book yours soon. Please do let us know how many young people are coming with you by choosing the appropriate number of Age 5-17 tickets.

Find out who has been shortlisted here:
https://www.nationaljusticemuseum.org.uk/museum/events/picture-this-hope-celebration

With only 20 days until our Valentine’s Murder Mystery, do you have your tickets sorted? We need you, with your best det...
26/01/2025

With only 20 days until our Valentine’s Murder Mystery, do you have your tickets sorted?

We need you, with your best detective hat on (metaphorically speaking), to interrogate our suspects and root out the killer!

The year is 1987 and you’ve been invited to celebrate the closure of the Shire Hall before the courts move to their new home by the canal. After completing their last case at the Shire Hall a few months ago, the presiding Judge disappeared. Has another one bitten the dust?

https://www.nationaljusticemuseum.org.uk/museum/events/cocktails-and-crime-dont-leave-me-this-way

Did you know you can meet characters from our building's rich history as you explore the museum? The Barrister can be fo...
25/01/2025

Did you know you can meet characters from our building's rich history as you explore the museum?

The Barrister can be found doing their hard work in the courtroom. They’ll tell you all about the room that they work in and its history as a court here in the gaol…and they might even get you to take part in a trial reenactment!

As you head down into the building, you may come across our Matron. She oversees all the female prisoners within the gaol. Ask her what types of tasks they'd be completing...and where they'd take a bath!

Finally, in the depths of the prison and the oldest part of our building, you can find our gaoler. He'll tell you your fee for staying in our prison, as well as what crimes landed people in our gaol, and what punishments were given out in our history...

What might you learn on your visit to the National Justice Museum?
https://www.nationaljusticemuseum.org.uk/museum/visit

Address

The Lace Market, High Pavement
Nottingham
NG11

Opening Hours

Monday 10am - 4pm
Tuesday 10am - 4pm
Wednesday 10am - 4pm
Thursday 10am - 4pm
Friday 10am - 4pm
Saturday 10am - 4pm
Sunday 10am - 4pm

Telephone

+441159520555

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Our Story

We are based at Nottingham’s historic Shire Hall and County Gaol where you can delve into the fascinating history of justice through time. Meet historical characters, explore our immense collection, take part in a range of interactive games and activities, and discover how law and justice contribute to all of our lives. See original courtrooms, dungeons and prison cells, along with our vast collections relating to justice, the law, crime and punishment, including Oscar Wilde’s gaol cell door, evidence from the Great Train Robbery and more.