The National Justice Museum
Located within the former Shire Hall and County Gaol of Nottingham, the National Justice Museum is the largest museum in Britain dedicated to law, justice, crime, and punishment. The museum has over 40,000 objects linked to the administration of justice and punishment of criminals. It's been speculated that the location was the base of operations for the Sheriff of Nottingham who faced Robin Hood, and it was also used for public executions. In the yard behind the gaol is a gallows which which has been preserved in full working condition, and it was used for private executions.
Due to the deaths, and the items here, it's thought that this location is haunted. It was even named as the most haunted building in the UK during 2008. Groans and screams have been reported coming from the courtroom, the sound of footsteps and jangling keys come from the cells, and women report feeling pregnant in the laundry room. It's believed at least four distinct spirits haunt this building, and one of them is thought to be buried in the excersise yard with a number of other criminals.
History
The site which the National Justice Museum stands on is thought to date back to 600AD. It's been said that during this time, the site was used as the base for Nottingham's original Saxon settlement; and that Nottingham was known as 'Snotta inga ham', meaning village belonging to Snotta. It isn't known if the site was used for justice and imprisonment during the dark ages due to a lack of written records from this time. Archaeologists have found indications in the sandstone caves beneath the museum that the site was linked with punishment and imprisonment from the Saxon times.
When the Normans invaded, they appointed sheriffs as keepers of the peace and tax collectors. From 1125, the county Sheriffs were based on this site. There isn't any evidence that says the sheriffs were based here from the Norman conquest of 1066, but the site was referred to as either the Sheriff's Hall, County Hall, or the King's Hall. This has created speculation that the location could have been the base for the Sheriff of Nottingham who faced Robin Hood. The first written records show that the site was used as a court from 1375, and as a prison from 1449; although it is possible that the location served these purposes before the first written documentations.
I've found that there was a good period of time when the Shire Hall acted as it's own parish. During 1449, the Borough of Nottingham was made into the district County from Nottinghamshire. When this act occured, the castle and the Shire Hall were the two exceptions. This meant the Shire Hall became the Parish of Shire Hall until 1974. It was completely surrounded by the County and Borough of Nottingham, and it's been said the Parish of Shire Hall claimed to be the smallest civil parish in England.
During the 1600s, there was written documentation about a need for the building to be rebuilt; however no action was taken. This was presumable highly regretted during the 1700s as, during 1724, one of the courtroom floors collapsed. The Nottingham Courant reported on this during the March of 1724, and people fell into the cellars beneath the court. They wrote:
"On Monday morning, after the Judge had gone into the County Hall, and a great crowd of people being there, a tracing or two that supported the floor broke and fell in and several people fell in with it, about three yards into the cellar underneath. Some were bruised, but one man named Fellingham was pretty much hurt, one leg being stripped to the bone, and was much hurt. This caused great consternation in Court, some apprehending the Hall might fall, others crying out "Fire"! etc. which made several people climb out of the windows. The Judge, being also terribly frightened, cried out "A plot! A plot!", but the consternation soon being over the Court proceeded to business."
Seemingly due to this incident, the hall was rebuilt between the years of 1769 and 1772. The architect for this was James Gandon from London, and the builder was James Pickford of Derby. The rebuild cost roughly £2,500, which equated to £296,887 as of 2010 and to £459,395.16 as of 2020. During 1777, the prison reformer John Howard visited and said he was pleased to see "this gaol has been lately repainted and much improved". The building was also improved to be fronted by an iron palisade to help control unruly crowds during a public hanging; although I'm unsure on if this was added by 1772, or if it was added later.
One of the executions which occured here was that of Daniel Diggle during 1817. He was found guilty of shooting a woollen manufacturer and executed outside the hall as a result. Traditionally, hangings had taken place on Gallows Hill. However, during 1832, all hangings were transferred from Gallows Hill to Shire Hall. I don't know why I've found that Daniel was executed outside the hall before this date, but it seems public executions definitely did happen outside the hall.
It was somewhere between 1820 and 1840 that additional wings were added to the building. The year of 1844 then saw the additions of a judges retiring room, a barristers robing room, and an office for a clerk. Beside the Shire Hall, there is a police station building. It's been unclear from my research if the museum extends into this location as the buildings are connected; and so I've thought it's best to document it here just in case. This police station was the headquarters for the Nottinghamshire County Police from 1847 until 1954. The present police station came to be when the original station was remodelled during 1905. This location housed the chief constable, force administration, along with CID and recruits. The County Force headquarters moved to the larger location of Epperstone Manor during 1954, and so the police station became a divisional headquarters until it closed during 1985. Despite being closed, it's cells were still used as a court holding facility for a further two years; and it featured a seperate cell for female prisoners. This seperate cell contained a 'private' toilet and a double bed.
Going back to the main part of the building, a new grand jury room was added during 1859. This room was designed by the architect Richard Charles Sutton. Regarding the public executions, these could occur until 1868. However, the final public execution on this site occured on the 10th of August 1864. This followed the trail of Richard Thomas Parker. Richard had shot Samuel Parker with the intent to murder at Fiskerton on the 29th of March, presumably during 1864, and he was also charged with shooting at Elizabeth Parker, his mum, with the intent to murder her on the same day. Richard was publicly hanged at the age of twenty-nine outside the hall.
Further major improvements were made to the building during 1876, and these included the redesigning of the front in the 'Italianate' style which was done by William Bliss Sanders. Sadly, a fire occured and this nearly destroyed the completed work. This meant the courts were largely rebuilt between 1876 and 1879, and this work was done by Thomas Chambers Hine. The first private hanging was the next event in this location's timeline. The person in question was Thomas Grey, and he was privately hanged on the 21st of November 1877 for murder. The jail was then closed during 1878 partially due to it's awful conditions, and it lay empty until 1995. I have found though that despite the prison being closed and empty, the courtroom was still in use until the year of 1991. The reason ehind their closure was because a new Nottingham Crown Court was built. The final cases to be heard in the hall were offences which arose from the 1984-1985 miners strike.
The building gained a grade II listing on the 24th of October 1988, and the most recent amendment of this listing occured on the 30th of November 1995. It was during 1994 that £3.5 million was raised and the restoration of Shire Hall began. The museum, which was then known as the 'Galleries Of Justice', officially opened to the public during the April of 1995. The museum is run by the National Justice Museum Trust, which is an educational charity, and they also run the City of Caves which is located in Garners Hill. The Trust took over the management of the caves during 2004. From what I can tell, the caves are not connected to the museum, although they do lie under most of Nottingham's town centre. More caves are regularly discovered, with it being a network of over 800 caves, and they have been used since the dark ages. The museum's caves are thought to have been used as a dungeon during medieval times, and they contain an 'oubliette' which means 'to forget' in French. This is a location where people would have been trapped and forgotten in.
It was during 2005 that the National HM Prison Service collection opened to the public. The trust later appointed learning to provider for London's Royal Courts of Justice and the Supreme Court during 2011. They have provided learning workshops in courtrooms across the North West of England since 2014. Also, during 2014, the museum was voted as the best small visitor attraction of the year. The Galleries Of Justice officially changed it's name and opened as the National Justice Museum on Saturday the 1st of April 2017 following a £1 million improvement project. The museum later won the 'museums change lives' award during 2021.
Many different rooms can be explored within the museum. These rooms include the courts, the night cell, the men's cells, the women's washrooms, the chapel, the caves, and the condemned cell where prisoners would await execution. As mentioned at the start of the article, the museum contains over 40,000 objects linked to the administration of justice and the punishment of criminals. These objects include the door of Oscar Wilde's prison cell from Reading Gaol, evidence from the Great Train Robbery, the monopoly set the gang from the train robbery used while waiting for the hunt to die down, plus a prisoner's dock from the Bow Street Magistrates Court in London. Famous prisoners to have stood in that dock are Oscar Wilde, Dr Crippen, and the Kray brothers. The suffragette Emmeline Pankhurst also stood in the dock following her arrest, as did her daughter Christabel, along with the novelist and politician Jeffrey Archer.
The museum also contains the bathtub from the 'brides in the bath' murders, which led to George Joseph Smith's hanging in 1915. You can also see gibbet irons, a Georgian 'birching stool', and equipment which was used to force feed suffragettes and conscientious objectors who went on hunger strike. Prisoners who refused to complete ardous manual labour may have been put on a severely restricted diet, and you can see a set of measures used to dish put their portions. Oscar Wilde is someone who endured manual labour while imprisoned. He was imprisoned for 'gross indecency' due to having a relationship with another man, and so was sentenced to two years of imprisonment during the May of 1895. The tasks he endured included picking tar from an old rope, and walking for hours on a treadmill. These tasks took a toll on his health, and upon release he found himself to be in financial ruin and was exiled to France. He later died during the year of 1900.
In the yard behind the gaol are gallows, and they are kept in the same spot criminals were hanged in after public executions were banned. They have been preserved in full working order as late as 1990. This is because even though the death penalty was abolished for murder in 1965, 1973 in Northern Ireland, it still remained possible to receive the death penalty for treason, piracy with violence, and mutiny in the armed forces; and so the gallows were kept in working order and regularly tested, although were never needed. These gallows were from Wandsworth Prison, and William Joyce was executed on them. Joyce was also known as Lord Haw-Haw, and was a World War Two Nazi radio broadcaster. Derek Bentley, a burglar, was also executed on the gallows and was later posthumously pardoned. Visitors can stand on the trap door, and you can see a glass cabinet near the gallows which contains a partly drunk bottle of whisky. This serves as a reminder that prisoners would be offered brandy or whisky to steady their nerves during their last moments.
Hauntings
The National Justice Museum was apparently named as the most haunted building in the UK during 2008, and has been voted as one of the most haunted buildings in the UK. With all of the executions which occured here, and all of the objects connected to death and crime, it isn't hard to see why people would reach that conclusion. For instance, it's been said that there are possibly twenty-five bodies buried in the excersise yard. One of these bodies may be that of William Saville. It's been said that he was executed for killing his wife as he wanted to leave her for another woman. It's also been said that he killed his three kids, although I'm unsure of how true this is. William is one of the spirits said to haunt the museum, and it's said he follows people and is accompanied by an unpleasant smell.
Some sources have said there are three spirits which haunt the entrance hall, and others have said there are four. The three are a victorian gentleman, a soldier, and a lady in a long gown. The fourth is said to be the daughter of a court official who would visit the court with her dad. This girl is said to haunt the stairs and the grand jury room. She is also possibly believed to be roughly eight years old, and happy. This could possibly be attributed to a different little girl which haunts the building though. All of the four spirits are said to cause cold spots in the building. The lady in the long gown may be a 'lady in white'. The reported 'lady in white' is believed to have been a prisoner who died in mysterious circumstances, and she haunts the cells and corridors in a white dress.
However, there is a different lady said to haunt the location. It's thought that a 'lady in grey' haunts the laundry room. In this room, doors slam and women feel a discomfort in their stomach akin to late pregnancy. The grey lady is said to be a victorian matron who is accompanied by the smell of soap. It's also believed she was a worker in this room who was murdered while in the late stages of pregnancy. This would explain why it's also reported that people are overcome with emotion in this room. It's possibly been speculated on an investigation that this spirit is called Rachel and that she is aged somewhere between twenty and twenty-five.
The soldier has been seen on the steps of the main hall, and another lady has been reported. This lady is said to be pushing a pram and looking as though in a trance. Groans and screams have been heard in the courtroom area, dark figures have been seen in the prison area, and visitors have reported being touched. It's been said that there is frequent poltergeist activity in the chapel and cave areas, and that these are the worst areas. It's important to say here that the 'chapel' doesn't seem like an actual chapel, but rather is a cave that seems like a chapel due to the way it's been carved. Crosses have been thrown and growls have been heard in this chapel area. Animal bones and artifacts have been found in the caves, which have led people to assuming their purpose was sinister. 'Bad energies' have been reported in the cells, and man was scratched on the arm during a tour in this area; plus a woman felt her arm be pulled.
Light anomalies have been reported in the courtrooms, as have people looking over the balconies. There are feelings of being watched, people feel drowsy, and they've heard sounds they 'would never forget'. Also in the courtroom, there are knocks, groans, footsteps, and the sound of a gavel hitting the judges desk. In the viewing gallery, people have reported the smell of rotting corpses and dark shadows. Footsteps, cell doors banging, keys jangling, and a male apparition have all been attributed to the cells. This combination has led people to believe a prison guard haunts that area. Children's cries and female voices have also been heard in the laundry room. People are also said to have felt a pressure around their necks, although it's unknown specifically where in the building, and they also feel a clamminess followed by extreme cold.
Summary Of Hauntings
1. William Saville, killed wife (+ three kids?), accompanied by unpleasant smell
2. Victorian gentleman - entrance hall
3. Little girl - stairs, grand jury room
4. A soldier (soldiers?) - steps of main entrance hall
5. Lady in long gown (lady in white?) - entrance hall
6. Grey lady/victorian matron, possibly age 20-25, possibly called Rachel - laundry room
7. Lady pushing a pram
8. Poltergeist activity - chapel, cave
9. Dark figures - prison area
10. People overlooking the balconies - courtrooms
11. Childrens cries - laundry room
12. Female voices - laundry room
13. Groans - courtroom
14. Screams - courtroom
15. Light anomalies - courtroom
16. Feelings of being watched
17. Sounds they 'would never forget'
18. Drowsy feelings
19. Scratches - cells
20. Arm pulled - cells
21. Knocks - courtroom
22. Footsteps - cells, courtroom
23. Sound of a gavel hitting the judges desk - courtroom
24. Smell of rotting corpses - viewing gallery
25. Cell doors banging - cells
26. Sound of keys jangling - cells
27. Male apparition (prison guard?) - cells
28. Doors slam - laundry room
29. Discomfort in stomach akin to late pregnancy - laundry room
30. Smell of soap - laundry room
31. People overcome with emotion - laundry room
32. Cold spots
33. Pressure felt on neck
34. Feeling of clamminess followed by extreme cold
35. Dark shadows - viewing gallery
36. Crosses thrown - chapel
37. Voices heard - chapel
My Thoughts
When doing the research for this location, and seeing that I would be using so many sources, I assumed that there would be a great deal of history along with hauntings; but instead I found remarkably little when compared to my expectations. The history was fairly straight forward, and there were little contradictions amongst sources. The hauntings were remarkably few when it came to detailed spirits, and stereotypical when it came to the activity experienced. True, there are many individual types of activity, but that's because there are many areas to this location. I was, however, surprised with the detail around women feeling pregnant in the laundry room. The feelings of emotion are often said with these situations where spirits have undergone grief or anger, but a woman feeling the spirit's pregnancy is a seemingly new/rare claim which I haven't heard before.
I do suspect there will be spirits here which are connected to the items, or to the building, but I'm, unsure of how true the hauntings of William Saville or Rachel are. I am always skeptical when it comes to named spirits as these names have likely been given by mediums, or they could have been randomly given to the spirit to make them seem more important. For example, the spirit of Dick Turpin is said to haunt many locations, but that doesn't mean it's him. It could be a random highwayman, but the location or investigators have said it's Turpin because he's the most well-known and so will grab more intrigue from people. The same could be the case with William Saville. He could be one candidate of the many said to be buried on the premises. As for the name Rachel, this is likely one given by a medium.
Regarding all of the activity, I suspect a psychological angle will be at play for most of it. It's important to say here that many ghost tours do occur at this location, and so the museum is more than willing to promote and profit from the alledged hauntings. Lots of this activity could have come from nervous minds partaking in a spooky tour of old caves and dark cells. The scratched arm could have been from the man scratching his arm naturally, forgetting about it, and then noticing in a creepy environment while being told about murderers and hangings. His mind is then going to quickly jump to the conclusion that he was attacked, and suddenly the natural scratches would look far worse to him than normal. It's a hypothetical explanation, but I feel it's one that could happen.
I suspect the activity to be expected is the pressure on the neck, cold spots, footsteps, and shadows. The shadows will likely be a product of the mind though, so if you didn't see it face on, then it's best to think you didn't see it at all. I do feel lots in the summary of hauntings can be given a rational explanation, and so I would visit this location with incredibly low expectations. I do think things can be experienced here, and I do think there is potential for many spirits to be here, I'm just not confident that they will generate much activity. The most interesting haunting is definitely the reports that women can feel as though they are in the later stages of pregnancy.
Thank You!
Thank you for reading this article! It was a really interesting location to write about, and it's definitely somewhere I want to visit. I do feel there will be something to it, and so I want to experience the location for myself. Plus, I love caves, and apparently the city is full of them. The next article will be published on Friday the 18th of October 2024, and it will be Beardo Live Pt5. This will be the final article discussing the conversations which occured within Beardo's livestream. The next location article will hopefully be published on Monday the 21st of October 2024, but it may be later than I aim for as I'm on holiday for that week. I will keep everyone updated on Facebook so that you know if any articles will be delayed.
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Sources I Have Used
25. Haunted Houses
26. Haunting Nights
27. Haunted Heritage
28. Nottingham World
29. Amy's Crypt
31. Eventbrite
37. BBC Home
38. Haunted Rooms
39. India Today
43. Wikishire
45. Historic England
49. GPS My City
50. Broadsides
51. Illuma
52. Flickr
53. BBC Home: WW2
54. Visitor UK
57. BBC News
59. Waymarking
63. Foursquare
73. Leftlion
Another interesting article. One of the hauntings you described was 'a woman pushing a pram' which made me think, surely inanimate objects don't have any energy so why would they be visible with a spirit? The same can be said for clothing? This would fit with my theory that spirits don't exist but something may trigger a reaction in your senses. Any thoughts?
ReplyDeleteHello! I'm sorry it's taken so long for me to reply, it's been quite non-stop with birthday celebrations and trying to keep on track with the publishing schedule due to that 😅 You make a really interesting point, and it's something I addressed last night during one of my livestreams 😄 I believe that a spirit doesn't have a set form. Through looking at various reports, the description of how one particular spirit appears is often inconsistent. Sometimes spirits are said to appear as they were when they died (elderly, maybe ill or injured), sometimes they're described as being in their prime, and other times they appear as how the viewer knew them. There are also reports which describe spirits appearing as shadows.
DeleteI believe, due to the inconsistency, that this means if spirits exist then they do not have a set form. A set form is a trait of the physical body, and they do not have this. Therefore, I believe that the spirit can appear to the viewer however they wish to be perceived. This could also explain why, if there is a group of people, only one or two people from the group may see the spirit even though they were all looking in the same direction; plus it explains why spirits aren't commonly caught on camera. I believe an apparition is commonly some sort of psychic projection instead of a physical manifestation. This explains why ghosts can be seen wearing ghost clothes, or why they sometimes have ghost objects.
However, there is a counter argument to all of this through using psychology. If you go to a spooky location, already your mind is going to play tricks on you. From an evolutionary survival standpoint, it is far safer to see or hear something that isn't there than to not see or hear something that is there. Therefore your mind will always see or hear things which are not there when in an environment you are not comfortable with, and especially when in the dark. This could be behind many reports from people investigating dark abandoned locations. Something such as a person pushing a pram is much stranger, and doesn't seem to have a survival angle; therefore this could be seen out of a want to see something, especially if prior information was learned about the history of a location.
Specifically regarding the lady pushing a pram in this location, this report could have originated from someone claiming to be psychic; although I haven't found information on if this was the case. I'm skeptical on this particular haunting as there was no further information to be found on it.
I hope that I've managed to answer your question 😄 Again, I'm really sorry it's taken so long to reply 😅
Thank you 🙂👍
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