A trial in the real courtroom
The re-enactment plays out in the Victorian courtroom with visitors seated as the jury.
A suspect could be arrested, tried, locked up and hanged here without ever leaving the address. That is the whole point of the National Justice Museum: it is not an exhibition about crime and punishment staged in some neutral hall, it is the courthouse and gaol themselves, the Shire Hall and County Gaol in the Lace Market, where trials were still being heard until 1991 and where public executions drew crowds to the front steps until 1864. The visit works its way downward through the building: a Victorian courtroom with its high wooden benches, a Georgian gaol, cells cut into the sandstone centuries ago, and finally the old execution yard at the bottom. What lifts it above just-another-museum is the costumed cast. A trial is re-enacted in the real courtroom with visitors seated as the jury, a bellowing gaoler marches the group down to the cells, and a Georgian execution is staged in the yard. It is all in English, naturally, but the theatre carries even for visitors with limited language. A plain word for families: the subject matter is prison and the gallows, the cells are dark and cramped, and the building has low ceilings, uneven floors and a great many steps that cannot be avoided in some sections. Children of ten and up tend to come out gripped by it; under-sevens may be confused or frightened, and a pushchair will be more burden than help. The ground-floor galleries on social justice are free to enter without a ticket, so anyone who would rather not go below can wait there or in the cafe. At 16 pounds for an adult and 11.50 for a child aged five to fifteen the ticket is not cheap, but it automatically becomes a twelve-month pass, and the joint ticket with the City of Caves five minutes' walk away saves a few pounds and makes a satisfying half-day beneath Nottingham. Open daily 10:00 to 17:00 with last entry at 16:00, so arrive before 15:00 if you want to catch the performances. There is no parking on site; the tram to Lace Market stop is the easy way in, and a same-day tram ticket earns a ten percent discount.
The re-enactment plays out in the Victorian courtroom with visitors seated as the jury.
A descent from the Georgian gaol through sandstone cells to the execution yard at the bottom.
The joint ticket with City of Caves, five minutes away, saves money and rounds out the picture.
High Pavement, Lace Market, Nottingham NG1 1HN
Not really for under-sevens: the whole theme is prison and hanging, the cells are dark, there are many stairs and a pushchair is a hindrance. Ten and up usually love it, and the free ground-floor galleries suit anyone who prefers to wait.
The museum: it is richer, longer and has the live performances, while the caves tour is shorter and more modest. With three hours to spare, the joint ticket covers both and saves a few pounds.