National Justice Musuem

The National Justice Museum occupies the historic Shire Hall and County Gaol on High Pavement in Nottingham's Lace Market quarter. The site has served as a place of law and punishment for more than five centuries, with a Georgian courtroom, Victorian police station and a warren of cells, caves and exercise yards preserved largely as they were used. The result is one of the most atmospheric heritage attractions in the East Midlands, telling the story of crime, justice and social change through the very rooms where verdicts were handed down.

Visitors can step into the dock of the Victorian courtroom, take part in costumed performances led by judges, jailers and convicts, and descend into the medieval sandstone caves beneath the building that once held prisoners awaiting transportation. Permanent galleries explore policing, prison reform, women and the law, and notable Nottinghamshire trials, while a hands-on family gallery lets younger visitors try fingerprinting and forensic puzzles.

The museum sits a short walk from Nottingham railway station and the city's tram network, making it an easy half-day stop alongside the nearby Lace Market, St Mary's Church and Nottingham Contemporary. Temporary exhibitions, evening ghost tours and learning events run throughout the year.