25-612: The National Justice Museum (formerly known as the Galleries of Justice Museum and, historically, the Shire Hall and County Gaol ) is an independent museum on High Pavement in the Lace Market area of Nottingham , England . The museum is housed in a former Victorian courtroom , prison , and police station and is therefore a historic site where an individual could be arrested, tried, sentenced and executed. The courtrooms date back to
50-599: A unitary authority . Since then the county council has had control over the county of Nottinghamshire, excluding the City of Nottingham. In 2024 a combined county authority was established covering Nottinghamshire, Nottingham , Derby and Derbyshire , called the East Midlands Combined County Authority . The combined authority is chaired by the directly elected Mayor of the East Midlands and oversees
75-496: A few weeks, a fire broke out and nearly destroyed all of the newly completed work. Following the fire, the courts were largely rebuilt by Thomas Chambers Hine between 1876 and 1879; but the gaol was closed in 1878. Following the implementation of the Local Government Act 1888 , which established county councils in every county, the building also became the meeting place of Nottinghamshire County Council . A police station
100-654: A gas lamp was installed at the top of Drury Hill by the Nottingham Gas Light and Coke Company . Previous lighting had been by whale oil lamps. At 8am on 10 August 1864, the last public hanging was held. Richard Thomas Parker was hanged for the murder of his mother. He was buried in the precincts of the gaol by the side of Fenton and Saville. 15, 17 and 19 were demolished in 1931 to provide additional car parking for Shire Hall. THIS SECTION NOT UPDATED SINCE 2017. THIS SECTION NOT UPDATED SINCE 2017. Nottinghamshire County Council Nottinghamshire County Council
125-425: A round headed doorway flanked by two round headed windows and full-height Ionic order columns; there was a rectangular blank panel above the doorway flanked by roundels. The inscription on the top of the building reads: This County Hall was erected in the year MDCCLXX and in the tenth year of the reign of His Majesty George III. The building was originally fronted by a high palisade. Additional wings were added to
150-425: Is a constituent member of the East Midlands Combined County Authority . Elected county councils were created in 1889 under the Local Government Act 1888 , taking over many administrative functions that had previously been performed by unelected magistrates at the quarter sessions . The borough of Nottingham had been a county corporate since 1449 with its own quarter sessions, and Nottingham's independence from
175-509: Is a street in Nottingham in Nottinghamshire , England. It is one of the earliest streets in the city, and most of its buildings are listed . It runs from the east end of St Mary's Churchyard to Weekday Cross . Around 1681 a row of houses was constructed on the south side of St Mary's Churchyard. They existed until they were pulled down around 1792 when the street was widened. A new wall
200-554: Is the upper-tier local authority for the non-metropolitan county of Nottinghamshire in England . It consists of 66 county councillors, elected from 56 electoral divisions every four years. The most recent election was held in 2021 . The county council is based at County Hall in West Bridgford . The council does not have jurisdiction over Nottingham , which is a unitary authority governed by Nottingham City Council . The council
225-576: Is under construction on the A611 Annesley Road in the parish of Linby , on the northern outskirts of Hucknall , due to open in 2025. When the county council was first created it met at the Shire Hall on High Pavement in Nottingham, a courthouse built in 1770 which had been the meeting place of the quarter sessions which preceded the county council. The council moved to County Hall in 1954; construction had begun in 1939 but had been paused due to
250-664: The Second World War . When construction began the site was within the boundaries of Nottingham. Boundary changes in April 1952 adjusted the boundary between Nottingham and West Bridgford in this area to follow the centre of the River Trent, transferring the County Hall site and other areas on the south bank of the Trent from Nottingham to West Bridgford. Since the last boundary changes in 2017
275-555: The 14th century and the gaol to at least 1449. The building is a Grade II* listed building and the museum is a registered charity. 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 sometimes referred to as the Sheriff's Hall, the County Hall or the King's Hall. The first written record of
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#1732845080757300-469: The building between 1820 and 1840. Changes were made to the nisi prius court in 1833. The judges' retiring room, barristers' robing room and office for a clerk were added in 1844. A new grand jury room was added in 1859 to designs by the architect Richard Charles Sutton . Until 1832 most Nottingham hangings took place at Gallows Hill, but in 1832 they transferred to the Shire Hall. The last public execution
325-451: The consternation soon being over the Court proceeded to business. The hall was rebuilt between 1769 and 1772. The architect was James Gandon of London and the cost around £2,500 (equivalent to £472,719 in 2023). The builder was Joseph Pickford of Derby. The design for the building involved an asymmetrical main frontage facing onto High Pavement: the right hand section of three bays featured
350-511: The council as well. The council formally came into its powers on 1 April 1889, on which day it held its first official meeting at the Shire Hall in Nottingham. Henry Strutt, Lord Belper , a Liberal Unionist peer, was the first chairman of the council. The county council was reconstituted in 1974 as a non-metropolitan county by the Local Government Act 1972 ; the first elections to the reformed council were held in 1973 . All urban districts , rural districts and municipal boroughs within
375-478: The council since the 1974 reforms has been as follows: The leaders of the council since 1974 have been: Following the 2021 election and subsequent by-elections and changes of allegiance up to December 2023, the composition of the council was: The next election is due in 2025. The county council is based at County Hall on the south bank of the River Trent in West Bridgford . A replacement headquarters
400-467: The county were abolished and replaced with non-metropolitan districts . Whilst previously the City of Nottingham was an independent county borough and therefore not included within the administrative county of Nottinghamshire or involved in the election of county councillors, the new non-metropolitan county included Nottingham for the first time as a non-metropolitan district . In 1998, Nottingham regained independent control over its affairs when it became
425-501: The delivery of certain strategic functions across the area. Nottinghamshire County Council provides county-level services such as education, transport, social care, libraries, trading standards and waste management. District-level services are provided by the area's seven district councils: Much of the county is also covered by civil parishes , which form a third tier of local government. The council has been under Conservative majority control since 2021. Political control of
450-523: 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 Fillingham was pretty much hurt, one leg being stripped to the bone, and was much hurt. This caused a great consternation in the 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
475-512: The site being used as a law court dates from 1375. The first written reference to its use as a prison is in 1449. Over the centuries, the courts and prison were developed and enlarged. In 1724, the courtroom floor collapsed. The Nottingham Courant in March 1724 recorded: 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
500-423: The surrounding county was maintained by making it a county borough . The county council was elected by and provided services to the remainder of the county outside the borough of Nottingham, which area was termed the administrative county . The first elections to the county council were held on 15 January 1889 , with 51 councillors being elected. There were also 17 aldermen chosen by the councillors to serve on
525-461: Was built adjacent the building in 1905. After the County Council moved to County Hall (a larger and more modern complex located on the south bank of the River Trent ) in 1954, the Shire Hall continued in use as the home of Nottingham's civil and criminal courts until 1991, when Nottingham Crown Court was opened on Canal Street. The Galleries of Justice Museum opened in the building in 1995. It
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#1732845080757550-460: Was constructed along the south side of the churchyard. In 1799, the name of a portion of the street between Short Hill and St Mary's Gate was called "St Mary's Church Side". The name didn't take and was abandoned about 1815. The Blue Coat School was located on High Pavement from 1723 to 1853. In the Georgian era , High Pavement was one of the most fashionable places to live in Nottingham. In 1819
575-472: Was held in 1864, when Richard Thomas Parker was hanged. Executions were held on a scaffold erected over the stone steps in front of the central doorway, within the small enclosure created by closing the gates of the iron railings. The drop was described as approximately level with the lintel of the door. Three small square stone insets in the steps are, in local legend, the sockets where the "Three-legged Mare" scaffold feet were set, but this design of scaffold
600-491: Was never used at Nottingham and the steps themselves post-date the 1876 fire (see below) and public hangings. After the abolition of public executions in 1868, most hangings took place at the Borough Gaol but on 21 November 1877 Thomas Gray was hanged in a yard at the rear of the Shire Hall. In 1876, major improvements were made and the front was redesigned in an Italianate style by William Bliss Sanders of Nottingham. Within
625-601: Was refurbished and rebranded as the National Justice Museum in 2017. The building houses two courtrooms, an underground jail and a site used for executions. The Crime Gallery includes a range of family activities, interactive exhibits and exhibitions exploring a range of topics relating to crime and punishment. The area also includes the dock from Bow Street Magistrates' Court . 52°57′3″N 1°8′40″W / 52.95083°N 1.14444°W / 52.95083; -1.14444 High Pavement High Pavement
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