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.

Riots and rage in the streets of Nottingham.On 18 June 1790, a fiercely fought election turned Nottingham’s Market Place...
18/06/2026

Riots and rage in the streets of Nottingham.

On 18 June 1790, a fiercely fought election turned Nottingham’s Market Place into a scene of chaos. After seven days of vote-counting, anger at the Whig victory exploded. Windows were smashed. Property was destroyed. Crowds surged through the streets as the authorities struggled to regain control.

By the next morning, dragoons had been sent in. When the crowd attacked, the soldiers fired. One man was killed, several others were wounded, and the Riot Act was read as troops lined the streets until order was finally restored.

Discover more extraordinary true stories of crime, punishment and social justice at the National Justice Museum: https://www.nationaljusticemuseum.org.uk/museum

You are invited to our free Friday creative workshops.Our creative sessions are free and open to all. Join us on Fridays...
17/06/2026

You are invited to our free Friday creative workshops.
Our creative sessions are free and open to all. Join us on Fridays from 10am till 12pm to make and create together and contribute to our growing museum!

Friday 19 June – Treasured Tools, Everyday Items Embellished: Metal Clay
Friday 26 June – Chains of Production
Friday 3 July – Whitework/Hard Labour
Friday 17 July – Tapestry Weaving
Friday 24 July – Baskets and Woven Dreams

The sessions will be led by artists, makers, and writers, all influenced by this unique museum.

Register for one of our free workshops using the link: https://www.nationaljusticemuseum.org.uk/museum/whats-on?category=workshop&series=make-it-yours

Have you booked your tickets for our two upcoming Crime Club events?Crime Club – Repeat: Victorian Criminal MastermindVi...
16/06/2026

Have you booked your tickets for our two upcoming Crime Club events?

Crime Club – Repeat: Victorian Criminal Mastermind

Victorian Britain produced many notorious criminals, but few captured the public imagination or troubled the police quite like Charlie Peace.
When: Thursday 25 June at 6pm. Please note this is a repeat of a previous Crime Club event in March 2026.
https://www.nationaljusticemuseum.org.uk/museum/events/crime-club-repeat-victorian-criminal-mastermind

Crime Club: Transportation to America

Find out how transportation to America differs from the later penal system established in Australia.
When: Thursday 30 July at 6pm.
https://www.nationaljusticemuseum.org.uk/museum/events/crime-club-transportation-to-america

Both Crime Clubs are £16.50 for a full-price ticket and £15.50 for concessions.

15/06/2026

Would you have been able to have beer while in gaol? Was it part of the prison diet?

Today is Beer in Britain Day; maybe you should ask the gaoler for a pint…

Who could be the killer? Here is a look at the suspects in our next Murder Mystery.Cocktails and Crime: Don't Look Back ...
14/06/2026

Who could be the killer? Here is a look at the suspects in our next Murder Mystery.

Cocktails and Crime: Don't Look Back In Anger is a 1990s whodunnit where the suspects are going from glossy cover to guilty.

Join editor Rex Wright at the launch party of his latest and hottest magazine, You Got Judged! But the party begins with a shocking discovery... a body has been found.

Play detectives, interview the suspects and find the clues to catch the culprit...before the night ends.

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

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

13/06/2026

Did you know our museum spans over 5 floors?!

Explore them all to your heart's content with our annual pass ticket 🎫💁🏼‍♀️

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

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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