National Justice Museum

The National Justice Museum sits in Nottingham’s Lace Market on High Pavement, a Grade II* listed building once known as the Shire Hall and County Gaol. Its oldest parts date to the 14th century courtrooms and a gaol recorded by 1449. The site began as the Sheriff’s Hall under Norman rule, collecting taxes and holding trials. Over centuries it grew into a working court, prison and police station. In the 18th century a floor collapse injured several people during a session. The hall was rebuilt in the 1770s by architect James Gandon with an Ionic frontage and a high palisade. The museum shows where arrests, trials, sentences and executions once happened in one place. In 1832 hangings moved from Gallows Hill to the Shire Hall steps. The last public execution in 1864 ended with Richard Thomas Parker hanged before a crowd. After public hangings ended in 1868, private executions continued until 1877. The building also served as Nottingham’s main civil and criminal court until 1991. In 1995 it opened as the Galleries of Justice Museum and became the National Justice Museum in 2017. Visitors find two courtrooms preserved from different eras, an underground jail and the execution site marked by legend. The Crime Gallery offers interactive exhibits on crime and punishment with the dock from Bow Street Magistrates’ Court. Original fittings include judges’ retiring rooms added in 1844 and a grand jury room designed by Richard Charles Sutton in 1859. The Italianate front redesigned in the 1870s shows William Bliss Sanders’ influence despite a fire soon after. The building remains a rare example of a single site where justice was fully carried out.