The Galleries of Justice

The National Justice Museum, also known as the Shire Hall, is an independent museum and a registered charity on High Pavement in the Lace Market area of Nottingham, England. The museum is housed in what was once a Victorian courtroom, gaol and police station, and is therefore a historic site where an individual could be arrested, sentenced and executed.The courtrooms date back to the 14th century and the gaol to at least 1449, the building was used as a police station from 1905 to 1985, and the courts closed in 1986.HistoryThe National Justice Museum is housed in a Shire Hall, which stands in the Lace Market area of Nottingham.The earliest confirmed use of the site for official purposes was by the Normans, who appointed sheriffs to keep the peace and collect taxes; hence the site was also referred to as the Sheriff's Hall, the County Hall or the Kings Hall.The first written record of the site being used as a law court dates from 1375. The first written reference to its use as a prison is in 1449.Eighteenth centuryThere has been a court of justice on this site since 1375, although over the centuries the courts and prison have been developed and enlarged. An example of this is when in 1724 the courtroom floor collapsed. The Nottingham Courant in March 1724 recorded:The Hall was re-built between 1769 - 1772. The architect was James Gandon from London and cost about £2,500. The builder was Joseph Pickford of Derby. The inscription on the top of the building reads: