National Justice Museum in Leek

Great interactive experience. Theres SOO much to explore! Definitely worth the entrance fees, but even the free exhibitions about forensics is worth visiting. We watched the mock trial and execution, the judge and executioner were particularly good actors, really brought you into the story (tho please consider getting the judge a microphone, difficult to hear everything). The dungeon cells were chilling, you could get a real sense of the human suffering. We went from having a great time exploring to being very humble, good teaching moment for children. Lad on reception was brilliant too, very friendly.

We had a great morning out and its well worth the money. Its a labyrinth of a building with things over many floors. My dad came with us and sadly had to miss out on some things as he was struggling with his mobility. Sadly its just due to the building with it being listed and not being able to make adjustments to the whole building. But the staff were really accommodating, they were all lovely and the trial and hanging were great. Also the cafe in there is really quaint and the food was really good. There wasnt a huge selection but both of my fussy eater children found something they really enjoyed. We would visit again but wed have to leave dad at home.

Love these tours. Only downside was we did the tour last year and it was the exact same so we know not to do it again next year, which is a shame. Still was good though. The workers are so knowledgeable and fun!

Excellent well worth a visit.The staff who dress up in character really made it fantastic. They all showed great enthusiasm.I have now been twice and would definitely go back on my next visit to Nottingham. Well done a real credit to Nottingham.

A gem in notts, amazing staff who make the visit worth your while and money! Very in-depth history and rather gruesome. We took this photo that we couldnt explain!

Fantastic, so well worth a visit. Thoroughly enjoyed the courtroom drama and public hanging!

Great museum with some amazing artefacts on display. Very friendly and accommodating staff too.

We literally spent the whole day here, it was fantastic. It was nice to be able to pop out for lunch and split up the museum because there is a lot to see. The highlight has to be the actors that bring the history to life. If you’re going to visit one museum in Nottingham, make it this one!

Did a " ghost " tour was alright was way too long tho 9pm-3am, would be better if it was factual as well as in a history tour etc

Excellent museum, live experiences throughout. Staff were extremely helpful as we had 2 disabled ladies with us. Nothing to much for them

A very informative and unique museum to visit. A dark past so easily forgotten and the museum has great staffs to assist and actors played their part very well . Do pay a visit !

Really good fun here with what is on offer.Lots to see, read and do! Great place for a day out.

The musuem was pretty interesting. The role players made the place come alive. They hold mock trials that involve audience participation.

The Justice Museum was surprisingly brilliant, the highlight of our stop in Nottingham. Part is its history - this isnt just a museum, its a living relic of times gone past, with court and cells as they were two hundred years ago. But just as great was the show put on by the man covering the courtroom history and the gallows. Great for kids, great for adults.

Visited for the first time today with a friend and we had the best time! We even got to take part in a reenactment of a court case! The gentleman acting as the barrister was amazing! He was very funny and very knowledgeable! He made our day!If youre visiting Nottingham I highly recommend you pop in! Plenty of rooms and corridors to explore and lots of history to read and listen to.Loved it!!

The exhibition was very interesting and informative, especially if you have been to destinations like Port Arthur where the prisoners from here were sent. I absolutely love the history illustrated faithfully here. Keep up the good work there!While the performing actors/actresses were very professional, helpful, and inspiring, the same cant be said about the cold attitude of the staff at the ticketing booth unfortunately. Fortunately it is not reflective of the overall quality of the exhibition and my experience there.

Watched I live courtroom drama as we got there the whole place is just great really good few hours 100% worth a visit

Absolutely incredible museum! If you didn’t have the engagement from the staff in period costumes who put on a performance on a hanging and a trial, both real cases from history, the museum would fall a bit flat as there isn’t too much you can do with a prison and an empty court room. This definitely really adds to the experience and the exhibits and displays are very well organised and managed too, lots of interactive things that make you think about the history of the prison system.

You need 2 hours here at least. A real prison and courtroom and hanging place. 500 years of history. In my opinion a lot more interesting than the city of caves which is a 40 minutes walk around a very small place with just words. In this museum and ex prison and court house, there are so much to see, explore, and reflect on. A very interesting and unique place worth visiting. Buy the joint famiky tickets for both museums to save on ticket fees. If you only have time for one Museum, pick this one instead of the city of caves.

It was a very fun tour. There were performances throughout the day. We watched the trial of the cheese rioters and a public hanging. Both very fun and interesting. They really give you a sense of what trials and hangings look like back in the days. Definitely worth a visit if not for the various prison cells underneath then for the public hanging.

An excellent and informative visitor attraction stepping back in time to look at UK Justice. Displays are very informative and changing exhibitions can be very thought provoking. Staff are well read on the history of the building and provide a series of interactive events which see staff in traditional dress acting out roles of the past.Great little cafe on site with a good range of handmade cakes and specialty teas.Somewhere which interested the whole family and occupied more time than expected.

Very interesting place to visit, the old courtroom is particularly impressive. Went midweek and there was barely a handful of people there. Have to hand it to the costumed performers, must have been off-putting to do your spiel to an audience of one at a time. One criticism, Id have liked to have seen a bit more of the place recreated as near as possible to how it would have looked at the time, all the cells had large info boards up and took away any realism, maybe one or two could be set up as they would have looked

We were there at the same time as a recreation of a court session. Actors very engaging and funny, nice bit of history and scary to be in a court. Loved the displays too.

Booked this jointly when booking Nottingham Caves, was nice walking around and going to around the cells and having people working there and acting stuff out the rooms gives great insight and information I would definitely recommend going here was a well enjoyed experience

Been before years ago with my eldest son and had a fantastic experience back then. We enjoyed it today but it’s missing a few things that we enjoyed, there was a guide from start to finish and many re-enactments, starting with the court and they involved anyone that was visiting which made it fun, our times only meant we could see the hanging.Still as interesting, not sure it’s worth the money anymore.

Loved the mock Court and the hanging. Great funny actors. Brilliant interesting history of prison life. Well worth a visit. Take the kids.

Was a great time out learning about the brutal history of Nottingham, the staff were amazing always willing to help. Highly recommend going to check it out for an day out. Even found out that were the gallows are my family name is scribed into the wall twice by different people.

A few weeks ago we had family visiting and we were looking for something to do for all ages and came across the National Justice Museum in Nottingham.It was very easy to book and when we arrived there was a team of people telling us what was on. We started with a demonstration of the court system and then witnessed a public hanging, which unfortunately was postponed that day due to a last minute pardon, much to the 7 year olds annoyance!Its a great way to spend a few hours with entertainment, education and some exciting exhibits. If youve not been, go!

Took my boyfriend here for his birthday and we had a good time, its a meusem that makes you realise that those who were imprisoned here were real, and their suffering is translated into the exhibitions. It furthers helps you consider the current state of our criminal justice system. The actors were very talented and engading.

Went here with our 2 teenagers and we all loved it. Do attend the courtroom reenactment and the execution, we took part and it was great fun. Andy, the executioner was fun and informative. Highly recommend a visit to this historic museum.

Great place to visit friendly staff enjoyed the interactive shows and exhibitions.

This place is loaded with history. It reflect how things change with time. For example, people in the past had a severe punishment of being send to Australia, yet today going to Australia is favourable.

Good value for money. Some experienced and knowledgeable staff/actors who talk you through how the courts and legal system used to run. There are mock trials and hangings throughout the day.

Brilliant museum, fascinating insights and nicely brought to life with some fun role plays. If you park at the NCP on Stoney Street you can claim a discount at the museum reception. Instead of paying £22.50 parking we only paid £7.30 so well worth asking for it.

Really loved our visit here and would recommend it to anyone in town! The building itself is really well preserved, especially considering its age. The courtroom is particularly magnificent, and the original cells are also impressive. There are plenty of artifacts to demonstrate history, which is done in a thoughtful, informative and sensitive way given some of the subjects.But the stand out is definitely the actors who totally bring it all to life in the courtroom, jail, womens wing and yard. Not only do they really make you a part of it, but they follow up with details and context.I only wish we had more time there!

We visited the National Justice Museum, first impression was that it was expensive... perhaps Im just used to wondering round free Museums?! Anyway, we thought we would give it a whirl anyway, and it kept us busy for a couple of hours. The actors probably made the experience much better, and if anything a few more doing other roles (like a prisonerwould have been nice. Kids were more engaged with the walking round the dark prison and underground bits more than anything, and I felt there could have been more handsy on type things for them to do. Probably best to do this if you have older children perhaps?!

We didnt know what to expect when we booked a visit (we had a designated slot). Our 8-year-old probably didnt enjoy it as much as we did, although she did chuckle during the live court session, where some of the crowd were asked to participate in a court scene that was based on true life events and prisoners.There is a second live scene called Georgian Hanging outside in the exercise yard where the same actors are involved.Both performances are very entertaining and well worth the visit.There are four floors full of exhibitions and interactives and a little Café at the entrance level that serves cold and hot food, and doubles as a sweet shop.

Great role players full of interesting stories and facts, the museum is full of information that older kids or grown ups could spend hours reading. Younger ones might get sick of some of the reading but plenty to keep them interested that doesnt involve reading. Tip- at the time of writing the nearby NCP Stoney Street car park is doing massively reduced parking if pre-booked on their website.

Excellent place! So much to see, read and hear and fantastic actors staying true to their characters. We thoroughly enjoyed our visit!(We booked in advance in combination with a trip to the City of Caves — worked really well for us).Hand sanitisers provided around the whole place and signs encouraging people to be mindful.

Excellent museum, plenty to see and the staff are excellent, especially the ones in the role play positions. Pay once go anytime in the next 12 months free, excellent value

Visited the the Nottingham Caves today the ticket I bought was also to visit the National Justice museum which is approx £4 cheaper if you combined the both together .Tha approx cost of seeing the birth attractions was approx £15 .which l thought was good value.The NJ museum is roughly based around the criminal justice and crime.Theres a courtroom that you can go into and museum staff acting act a fictional crime from the early 1900s.They ask for a couple of the audience to take part..Then you can see where people were locked and the conditions they had to endure all those years ago.Its worth a visit .

Interim museums, with staff reciting, in period clothes, the story sadly turned.I was excited to visit the museum, well maintained and really interesting.Adjacent caves are also part of the tour.Grazie per questa eccellente esperienza.

One of the most interesting museums, I have ever been to, lots of try it yourself activities, actors wandering around and you can either go for a guide tour or enjoy on your own

Its a wonderful place to visit. The staff is very informative. They do perform various acts in the museum based on the true story. Must visit attraction.

We did this on a joint ticket with the caves.This was really interesting. There is a great mix of justice through out the centuries. There are cells to go in; just be careful coming out of the dark cell, I banged my head on the very hard stone doorframe coming out.There were two live performances, a hanging and a witch trial.

I had a really great morning exploring this museum. There is a ton of stuff to see and read about the history of crime and justice in the UK and around the world. The museum is very interactive with lots of props and actual items. They show you all the different types of prison cells, types, etc. They also show you all the different methods of punishment as well. The actors they have are brilliant and interesting. They also have a witches trial which the audience gets to participate in. I spent about 3 hours here and felt that I still missed some information.

What a great find! You learn about the English justice system throughout the years, some basics about criminology, forensics, entomology, etc. If you like you can even participate in a mock trial.(We did, and it was so much fun.the best part of this museum is there are guides acting as characters you can interact with. Get the combo ticket with the City of Caves. Its worth it!

Not a great deal to look at but I think it changes all year round. The court was funny and my child joined in. We bought a double ticket with the Caves, which we all really enjoyed. I like that we have a full year to keep going back or Im not sure Id of thought money well spent. We will return a few more tomes and see whats different.

A really interesting place. I really like the court room and cells. We spent a couple of hours here. A few staff in costume to tell you more about the history. We got a wristband with a convict number then could go and find out about the convict, I thought that was a nice touch. A basic little cafe but nice and comfy with good prices. We did both the halls of justice and caves so saved a few pound.

Newly opened museum covering crime throughout the years. We put it down to being newly opened but we found the directions on where to go next on the tour a little unclear,better signage would be great as its possible to miss out on exhibits. There is a great dungeon on the lower levels with some thought provoking exhibits on show. Definitely worth a visit!