The Courthouse Museum

The Courthouse Museum stands in Ripon, a city in North Yorkshire. The building was designed by William Walker and completed in 1830 to serve as a court house for the Quarter Sessions. It likely occupies the site of an earlier court and incorporates some medieval stones. The structure became a magistrates' court in 1953 and was extended in 1981 before closing in 1998. The Ripon Museums Trust bought it in 2000 and reopened it as a museum in 2005 after redecorating it to its original colour scheme. The museum’s exhibition explores the history of the court. The museum’s architecture reflects its judicial past. Constructed from stone, it features a plinth, quoins, a sill band, moulded eaves, and a hipped slate roof. The façade includes a doorway with two Doric columns, an entablature, an oblong fanlight, and a pediment. Round-headed sash windows with impost blocks and keystones line the exterior. Inside, a through passage leads to the jury room and the justice’s retiring room. The court room remains well preserved, complete with jury boxes, defendant and witness areas, a public gallery, the clerk’s chair, and the judge’s seat. Visitors find a carefully restored court room with all its original fittings. Two jury boxes face a central table surrounded by boxes for defendants, witnesses, bailiffs, and prisoners. The public gallery overlooks the proceedings, while the clerk’s chair and judge’s seat sit at the front. Above the judge’s seat hangs the royal coat of arms. The flanking walls contain round-headed doorways with matching impost blocks and keystones. The museum offers a clear view of how justice was administered in the past.