National Justice Museum - Redevelopment Project

The National Justice Museum is based at the historic Shire Hall and County Gale, which is located in the popular Lace Market area of Nottingham.

Formerly the Galleries of Justice, the attraction reopened in March 2017 after redevelopment work which was undertaken following a £1 million Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) grant, and is now Nottingham’s first national museum.

With more than 60 years’ experience of working in the heritage sector, J Tomlinson was selected to support the redevelopment project and deliver a range of improvements to the visitor experience - helping the attraction to launch the latest chapter in its history.

Among the improvements are new exhibitions showcasing the museum’s huge collection of crime and punishment artefacts and materials – much of which was usually kept in storage.

The much-loved Nottingham attraction and landmark of historical importance now also features an increased number of interactive displays, a new crime gallery featuring free exhibitions plus many more fun, family-friendly activities.

Operating to a tight six-week schedule to accommodate other contractors working on site, J Tomlinson devised an efficient strategy to undertake all the necessary refurbishment and redecoration work in as swift a time as possible.

This involved working outside of core hours to accelerate the programme and avoid disruption to a wedding that was booked to take place.

The premises featured a number of different areas and rooms dating from a range of periods in history – each with its own unique set of circumstances. These included Medieval cave systems and Victorian court rooms.

J Tomlinson’s work included redecoration of the court room and Shire Hall, the gaol cells, the old prison laundry room and the crime gallery. The company also installed track lighting in a number of areas of the building, and also laid carpet tiles and vinyl flooring.

A new arch window frame was installed and a new mock cell door was manufactured and fitted as an external door.

Throughout all work, the J Tomlinson team was mindful of the fact the building is a sensitive site containing special and significant artefacts. Strong liaison and communication with the client was at the forefront during the project.

MINIMAL DISRUPTION THROUGH CAREFUL PROGRAMME MANAGEMENT & OUT-OF-HOURS WORKING - work was carefully planned to minimise disruption to occupants and also delivered outside of core hours to accelerate programme and to avoid disruption to a wedding that was booked to take place

CITY OF CULTURE - the redevelopment has been instrumental in helping the centre become the first national museum in Nottingham

CAREFUL HANDLING OF ARTEFACTS - the project included the relocation of a set of old heavy gallows trap doors, originally from Wandsworth prison, and a heavy protective glass cover. They had to be transported down two flights of stairs and built into a floor for display purposes

SAFETY FIRST - J Tomlinson utilised a large fully fixed scaffold in the court room to enable safe and effective redecoration works

HIGH-QUALITY FINISH - the project was completed to an exceptionally high standard, receiving high praise from the client.