Uncovering the secrets of the National Justice Museum on their brand-new tour

Nottingham’s National Justice Museum, based in the old Shire Hall and County Gaol, has stood on High Pavement since at least 1375. Famous for its gruesome past, the historic building has housed dangerous criminals, witnessed cunning escape attempts, held public executions and more in its long years. If ever there was a place with a story to tell and secrets to share, this is it.

Unsurprisingly, when Visit Nottinghamshire were invited to experience the brand-new Tales of Truth and Legend Tour, which promises the chance to uncover the ‘secret spaces’ and ‘little-known stories’ of the museum, we were more than intrigued. Fancying ourselves experts on even the quirkiest elements of our great city’s history, not to mention big fans of the museum, we naively reckoned we probably knew all its secrets already.

How wrong we were!

This immersive experience starts from the moment you enter the doors and are labelled with a convict number around your wrist (which you can later search out in the museum to uncover the crimes you committed and the sentenced received). Moments later we were escorted outside by our guide, who regaled us with interesting titbits about this iconic building, beginning with interesting architectural quirks and features of the building’s design – things we’ve walked past a hundred times, including the most famous Nottingham spelling mistake we’d never heard of.
 

The quirky facts, curious tales and intruiging insights continue as we are led back through the grand entry room – our guide cheerfully pointing out another error, immortalised in the stone - and into the criminal courtroom, still in use as recently as 1986. We listen in disbelief to her stories of the bad luck that has plagued this room over the centuries, as we sit in the very room where so many convicts received their sentences. Alongside the grisly tales, she describes the various style changes this room has undergone through the ages (wondering why Edwardians placed flowers everywhere? It’s less charming than you might think) and notes the new additions to the room over the years and the funny or bizarre stories behind them.

Next, we’re sent down – literally – into the cells below. We pass a series of gruesome torture artefacts and bombard our ever-knowledgeable guide with questions, squirming as she tells us the gory details. Ever wondered what the holes in the feet of a gibbet were for, or the longest time that a body was left inside one? (Nottingham, naturally, holds this delightful accolade).
 

As we’re led around the warren-like maze of buildings, through exercise yards, down tunnels and up staircases we’re left feeling utterly disorientated – little wonder two hopeful absconders, after hours of painstaking labour, found they only managed to escape as far as the exercise yard. We listen, rapt, to several tales of escape attempts, each more daring than the last, and are astonished at the sheer resourcefulness and creativity of those making their bid for freedom. Along the way we encounter Elizabeth Fry, champion of prisoners’ rights during the early 1800’s who tells us her story, never breaking character as she outlines some of the important reform work she did in the Gaol. 
 

As we journey deeper into the depths of the gaol, things get creepier in the sandstone caves. We gaze down into the terrifying Oubliette (count yourself lucky if you don’t speak French and don’t know what this means) before we arrive at the cell which once housed their most legendary convict. Apprehensive, we are led through a door usually locked to visitors and brought into the dimly-lit Sheriff’s Dungeon where our famous outlaw Robin Hood was said to have been imprisoned, and listen intently to the ancient ballad which tells the tale of his capture and bloody escape.

It’s a relief to get back outside into the daylight, although we soon come face to face with the jailer in the exercise yard, who gives us a less-than-warm welcome once he sees the convict numbers on our wrists. He’s aggressive, demanding money or possessions to pay for our keep in the prison and to inspect our teeth with a view to selling them to the denture maker. It’s a rather intense experience and offers an unforgettable insight into the conditions faced by prisoners. The point is driven home when he shows us the ‘pits’, the area reserved for those who couldn’t afford to pay for their stay in prison, and who might be given bread and water “if I remember”.
 

We’re led back through the Felon’s Yard and are given a few more gruesome tales of murder and capital punishment, executed as usual with our charismatic guide’s typical wit and humour, to end the tour on a high.

So what’s the verdict? Does this tour really uncover the hidden secrets, secret spaces and little-known stories?

Guilty as charged.

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The Tales of Truth and Legend takes place Monday – Sunday, 10.30am and 3.30pm at the National Justice Museum. The tour is included in the normal admission price to the museum: £10.95 adults, over 60s £9.95, students £9.95, under 18s £7.95, under 5s Free. Family ticket for 4 people (max 2 adults) £32.50.

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This blog was written by Sophie Milne, Communications Executive and Claire Jones, Marketing Assistant at Visit Nottinghamshire.