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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We are a VisitEngland quality assured Visitor Attraction 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 coll

ections of over 40,000 objects that cover the history of the 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.

11/06/2026

Take part in a creative writing workshop on Saturday 13 June, 10:15am - 2pm as part of Refugee Week and visit the ‘Pieces of Me: Stories from Nottingham’ Project Lab.

There will be light refreshments and a guided tour of the museum.

The tour, creative workshop, and lunch are free, and all are welcome; booking is required.

Find out more, or book your free ticket via Refugee Roots: https://www.nationaljusticemuseum.org.uk/museum/events/refugee-week-2026

With a joint ticket, you can visit both the National Justice Museum and the City of Caves on the same day!Explore our 5 ...
10/06/2026

With a joint ticket, you can visit both the National Justice Museum and the City of Caves on the same day!

Explore our 5 floors of crime, punishment, and social justice in our museum, which also houses a Victorian courtroom, a Georgian gaol, and cells that date back hundreds of years.

Then head down to the City of Caves, where you can discover the largest publicly accessible section of this vast underground network of caves in Nottingham.

What will you discover here? And with our new annual pass, you can return for free for 12 months.

Book your family pass via our website! https://www.nationaljusticemuseum.org.uk/museum

At 1am, on 9th June 1816, a group of disguised and armed men broke into the property of William Wright, in New Radford.T...
09/06/2026

At 1am, on 9th June 1816, a group of disguised and armed men broke into the property of William Wright, in New Radford.

The intruders rushed up the stairs into the workshop and began smashing up 12 valuable knitting frames. Although Mr Wright was away at the time, an eyewitness believed she could identify two of the Luddite attackers.

Thomas Glover and John Chettle were promptly arrested and awaited their trial in the county gaol. On 3rd August, they were sent before Mr Justice Robert Graham.

The trial began on Saturday afternoon and didn’t end until two in the morning!

Glover and Chettle were charged with feloniously entering Mr Wright's dwelling house and breaking 12 frames. Mr Clarke and Mr Reader were the two prosecution barristers, and Mr Denman acted for the defence. His ability to provide an alibi for the two men was said to be among the greatest ever seen in court. Both men were acquitted of their crimes.

The not guilty verdict was followed by a “tremendous shout of exultation which was echoed and re-echoed with increasing volume despite the attempts by the judge and officers of the Court to suppress it.”

The local authorities were grateful for the result as they feared they would not be able to keep the peace if they had been found guilty. The celebrating crowd spent several hours on the streets after the trial was over.

Their defence counsel, Mr Robert Denman, would later become a Judge himself. You might recognise his portrait from our Magistrates' suite if you’ve ever had a meeting at the National Justice Museum!

Find out how transportation to America differed from the later penal system established in Australia in Crime Club: Tran...
08/06/2026

Find out how transportation to America differed from the later penal system established in Australia in Crime Club: Transportation to America.

America: the land of the free, unless you were an 18th-century convict. While Britain’s transportation of prisoners to Australia is widely remembered, far less is known about the thousands sent to Britain’s North American colonies before the War of Independence.

Join us for the latest instalment of Crime Club on Thursday 30 July, a chance to discover more about infamous crime cases from history. Free drink included!

https://www.nationaljusticemuseum.org.uk/museum/events/crime-club-transportation-to-america

Head back to the 90s this August bank holiday, where you are a guest at a new magazine launch party. Join editor Rex Wri...
07/06/2026

Head back to the 90s this August bank holiday, where you are a guest at a new magazine launch party.

Join editor Rex Wright at the launch party of his latest and hottest magazine, You Got Judged! featuring It-Girl Vienna Ritz-Carlton. What better place to hold the party than the Shire Hall, with its former courtrooms to play on the new magazine's name? But the party begins with a shocking discovery...

Saturday 29 August, 7pm
Tickets £29 including arrival cocktail/mocktail

https://www.nationaljusticemuseum.org.uk/museum/events/dont-look-back-in-anger-aug

06/06/2026

Visit us for a fun-packed family day out across our 5 floors. Meet costumed characters from our gaol’s history and take part in a trial reenactment in our Victorian courtroom!

And did you know your ticket gives you free return access to the museum for 12 months?

We are absolutely thrilled to have been awarded Bronze at the VisitEngland Awards for Excellence 2026 for Small Visitor ...
05/06/2026

We are absolutely thrilled to have been awarded Bronze at the VisitEngland Awards for Excellence 2026 for Small Visitor Attraction of the Year! 🥉🎉

This is a hugely proud moment for our team as our work is recognised and celebrated on the national stage. This award celebrates our commitment to providing amazing experiences for our visitors, delivering exceptional learning programmes across the country, and creating impactful exhibitions that showcase our collection and raise awareness of social justice issues.

We’re so pleased we could attend the awards ceremony in Bristol with a wide range of our team, from our CEO and Chair to members of the Marketing and Visitor Experience teams. Their enthusiasm, knowledge, and commitment are what make us award-winners!

We want to say a special thank you to all our visitors. Your continued support means we can keep delivering our work, looking after our amazing attractions at the museum and the City of Caves.

Visit Notts

Come along to take part in a creative writing workshop on Saturday 13 June, 10:15am - 2pm as part of Refugee Week and vi...
05/06/2026

Come along to take part in a creative writing workshop on Saturday 13 June, 10:15am - 2pm as part of Refugee Week and visit the ‘Pieces of Me: Stories from Nottingham’ Project Lab.

There will be light refreshments and a guided tour of the museum.

The tour, creative workshop, and lunch are free, and all are welcome; booking is required.

Find out more, or book your free ticket via: https://www.nationaljusticemuseum.org.uk/museum/events/refugee-week-2026

Guilty?! is back for select dates from July to September 2026. Step into an immersive, multiple-choice escape room withi...
04/06/2026

Guilty?! is back for select dates from July to September 2026.

Step into an immersive, multiple-choice escape room within our historic, authentic gaol!

Every decision you make changes your fate as you make your way through the different spaces in the gaol, guided by your games master.

Will you escape? Will you go to court? Will you be guilty? Try your hand at Guilty?! to find out your fate...

https://www.nationaljusticemuseum.org.uk/museum/events/guilty-escape-room

It's a beautiful bronze award for the National Justice Museum at VisitEngland's Awards for Excellence. We were shortlist...
03/06/2026

It's a beautiful bronze award for the National Justice Museum at VisitEngland's Awards for Excellence. We were shortlisted from attractions across England to the final three, and we're so proud to have been nominated for this incredibly prestigious award. It will be displayed proudly in our museum!

Huge congratulations to all the winners, including bronze, silver, and gold 🎉🏆

Address

The Lace Market, High Pavement
Nottingham
NG11

Opening Hours

Monday 10am - 5pm
Tuesday 10am - 5pm
Wednesday 10am - 5pm
Thursday 10am - 5pm
Friday 10am - 5pm
Saturday 10am - 5pm
Sunday 10am - 5pm

Telephone

+441159520555

Website

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