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National Justice Museum

National Justice Museum, Nottingham: Hours, Address, National Justice Museum Reviews: 4.5/5

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National Justice Museum

See all things to do
See all things to do
National Justice Museum
4.5
1,735
#2 of 221 things to do in Nottingham
History Museums
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Monday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Tuesday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Wednesday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Thursday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Friday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Saturday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Sunday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
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About
Based in Nottingham’s historic Lace Market, the National Justice Museum is housed in Nottinghamshire’s Grade 2 listed old Shire Hall and County Gaol. The Museum uses original Courtrooms, dungeons and prison cells, along with a number of more contemporary galleries to exhibit collections relating to justice, the law, crime and punishment in a fun and interactive way. When visiting the museum you may also meet a variety of colourful historical characters with different stories of justice to tell.
Suggested duration
1-2 hours
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Tripadvisor gives a Travelers’ Choice award to accommodations, attractions and restaurants that consistently earn great reviews from travelers and are ranked within the top 10% of properties on Tripadvisor.

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Popular mentions
4.5
1,736 reviews
Excellent
1,167
Very good
437
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94
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18
Ralph B
1 contribution
Highly recommended
Oct 2021 • Family
Excellent and you could easily fill three hours here. Particularly impressive was the energy and charisma of the actors as they welcome you in and communicate the history. Also summarises the dark side of 'justice' and puts it in cotext.

If you are driving the Stoney Street car park is a rip off normally but if you get the voucher from reception here it brings the cost of all day parking to 7.50 which is well worth it.

Also went to see City of Caves at a discounted price with the double booking. Not as good but worth doing as an add on for 40 mins or so.
Written November 2, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
Karen M
21 contributions
A must visit in Nottingham
Jan 2022
We visited on a cold January day , it was so the best part of our day. So much information , so much to read and see . The staff / actors totally make the full experience with the court case and the execution . We visited the cafe which offered good value drinks and a small selection of hot and cold foods. We purchased the double tickets which includes the caves also , for the extra £5 per person we thought this very good value.
Written January 26, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
Sellest
Bushey, UK4,379 contributions
Excellent - allow yourself plenty of time here
Nov 2021
Visited here at the weekend with my two youngest (aged 18 and 12). There is so much to see and do here that you really need to allow at least 3 to 4 hours (we only had 2 ½ hours and this just was not enough). The characters throughout the museum are brilliant and impart information in an enthralling and engaging way, totally in character. Make sure you attend the hearing in the court and the execution (lots of audience participation …. My 12 year old got roped in!!). We thoroughly enjoyed our experience here and would recommend it to anybody.
Written November 18, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
Lynda C
Wokingham, UK496 contributions
Excellent museum - make sure you go to the court and gallows live experiences
Sep 2021
What a brilliant museum. We had a joint ticket with the City of Caves.
There are 2 mock trials each day - based on the script from an 1830 trial. The visitors are the juey and there are actors/guides who are the judge and lawyer. Very well done a nd a good way to learn what it was like then.
There are also 2 gallows talks each day with a hangman and the lawayer again going through a script of what it would have been like. Again very entertaining and educational. It is really bought to life with stories of real prisoners.
The museum is huge built in a warren of old prison buidlngs. It goes from old times to present day.
There is a small cafe selling drinks, sandwiches, toasties and delicious cakes - I recommend the lemon drizzle.
A must see.
Written September 29, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
Corvus
29 contributions
Simply amazing
Jan 2020 • Solo
Where to start?
I booked a joint ticket on their website for the museum and the city of caves tour for £16.
Well worth it.
Started with a Witch's Trial in the court room, the re-enactment of a trail shows history in an approachable way.
We then had an hour before the next even, so I walked down to the Prison Cells, be prepared for the cold, as there is a lot of air coming up from the dungeons, wear something warm.

The staff was easy to find, willing to answer all questions, in a truly special, almost Shakespearian way.

Lots of exhibits, you won't get bored, from cells through transportation, laundry, women's cells, capital punishment, debtor's prison, dungeons to the Yard and the last hanging.

It was an experience that truly captures your attention.
Written January 6, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
Stephen K
Walthamstow, UK1 contribution
A Wonderful Time in Nottingham
Aug 2020
What a wonderful place to visit! From the moment we arrived at the museum the welcome was warm, friendly and extremely inviting. We were running a little late but they accommodated us perfectly and we got our tour under way without any fuss. The first of our guides was wonderful and showed us an excellent reflection of olden times in the main courtroom, showing a wonderful character while answering questions and explaining things to us excellent detail. It was a brilliant and unexpected start to the visit and began what ended up to be a really enjoyable two hours. I will say now that you definitely want to give this experience a good two hours to fully appreciate the whole thing without having to rush, so if you are going to book the City of Caves visit make sure you consider this with your booking times. The rest of the actors were brilliant and stayed in character whatever and even if you asked questions so were very talented and very knowledgeable. We cannot recommend the National Justice Museum and the City of Caves enough and would like to thank all of them for making it a wonderful visit.
Written August 6, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
Marketing T
Hi Stephenk440, Thank you so much for sharing your kind words. We're so happy you enjoyed your visit! Your support is vital at the moment, so we really appreciate you taking the time to write such a fantastic view. We look forward to welcoming you back soon. Best wishes,
Written August 8, 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
wendy p
1 contribution
Badly organised
Dec 2019
Though it would be good fun to attend the Dickensian Christmas Carol murder mystery themed evening on the 14th December. The actors were ok and it was quite enjoybale up until the meal being served which we paid for as part of the evenings even Firstly,a seating arrangement plan was placed out side the dining hall and it clearly stated we had a table and seating but when we entered a group of people were already sitting there. We had to stand around until another gap at a table was free for us to be seated. Not a good start or an apology for the blunder. Secondly, no dessert available after everyone else had been served and to add insult to injury we were told nothing was available only left over cakes. Again, no apology or substiitue or an offer of a drink maybe to compensate? So no would certainly not recommend one of their "themed evenings" not value for money and you do not get what you pay for. Very poor service and very dissapointing.
Written January 16, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
Marketing T
Hi Wendy, Thank you for taking the time to feed this back to us. We’re very sorry and concerned to hear about your experience. Our Christmas parties received really positive feedback and we would be grateful if you could contact us via communications@nationaljusticemuseum.org.uk to discuss your complaint in more detail. Warm regards,
Written January 22, 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
Jess P
St Helens, UK51 contributions
Really immersive with lots to learn!
Jan 2020 • Friends
Decided to visit the National Justice Museum today as part of a day trip to Nottingham, coupling it with the City of Caves tour (£16 for both). I’m very glad we didn’t just opt for the caves!

The prison museum is wickedly immersive, starting out at a mock witchcraft trial that gets the audience involved, and resulting in witnessing a public ‘execution’ out at the gallows. There are plenty of nooks and crannies to explore yourselves too, including the pits where they used to leave prisoners to die and the real trapdoor used for the gallows until 1994.

Definitely worth the admission price, just wish we’d had a bit more time to spend here!
Written January 19, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
Marketing T
Hi Jess, Thank you for taking the time to leave such wonderful feedback! We're glad you enjoyed your visit. Hopefully you'll be able to spend more time with us in future! Best wishes,
Written January 22, 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
MrsM-330
South Yorkshire, UK321 contributions
Fun and interesting few hours
Sep 2021
myself and my husband visited and really enjoyed it. the staff are really animated and knowledgeable and nothing was too much trouble. the courtyard and the courtroom both have re enactments with audience participation which was a lot of fun.
it is like a maze due to the way the building has been laid out but unavoidable due to the age and the add ons over the years.
definitely worth a visit
Written September 10, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
GemmaLouise284
29 contributions
Great day!
Feb 2020 • Friends
4/5 purely because the museum is freezing which spoils the enjoyment of it after a while when you start to lose the feeling in your fingers and toes (We were wrapped up in hat, scarf, gloves). I understand some rooms couldn't be warm due to their location to the outdoors however a lot of the rooms could and should be heated.

Other than that, absolutely fantastic. Hanging and courtroom great. If you gift aid you get a 1 year ticket. Ask at the desk for discounted parking for the NCP Stoney Street. Costs £7.20 rather than £22 to park all day.

We will definitely be back in warmer weather to see the rest of it.

Allow several hours (at least half a day) to enjoy the museum and talks. We arrived at lunchtime and left at 3 for the caves tour (joint ticket) and didn't manage to see it all.

Recommended :-)
Written February 23, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
Marketing T
Hi Gemma, Thank you for leaving us such a wonderful review! We're sorry you felt a little cold walking round - many customers often wonder how the inmates used to cope before the days of central heating. We do have heaters in most of our exhibits, but the nature of the building and it's heritage status does mean we're a little tied when it comes to making it cosier. We look forward to welcoming you back in the warmer months!
Written February 26, 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
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Frequently Asked Questions about National Justice Museum
National Justice Museum is open:
  • Mon - Fri 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
  • Sat - Sun 10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
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