Galleries of Justice - Nottingham, Nottinghamshire
The Galleries of Justice a notorious building with a grizzly past.
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The Galleries of Justice in Nottingham is one of the UKs most haunted buildings and an overnight ghost hunt here is sure to support this accolade.
Ghostly apparitions, Poltergeist activity and slamming doors are just some of the experiences we have encountered on ghost hunts here and a lone vigil in the condemned cell or the cave beneath the building will test the nerve of the strongest mind. A ghost hunt at The Galleries of Justice is a must for any ghost hunting enthusiast, but be warned - the activity here can be terrifying and relentless.
Ghosts of The Galleries of Justice
Many people have reported extreme drops in temperature, strange lights and even the sounds of screams from within the building. Whole groups have witnessed the apparition of a figure stooping through doorways during ghost hunt vigils and people have become completely paralyzed with fear in this dark and foreboding location. Who or what will you encounter on an your overnight ghost hunt.
On one of our previous ghost hunts here, we heard the most hideous noise in the caves, which was witnessed by all 10 of us! It was guttural and gruesome. Some of our overnight ghost hunts here have frankly petrified us particularly down in the medieval cave underneath the prison. We have also caught light anomalies through our cameras all over The Galleries of Justice but the horrible rasping breath sounds that we have heard far outweigh the flashing lights.
The Galleries of Justice in Nottingham is infamous for frightening paranormal activity. The misery, torture and despair endured here for centuries lingers and we defy anybody to spend the night alone in some of these terrifying areas.
History of The Galleries of Justice
The Galleries of Justice stands on a site dating back to 600AD and is the base for Nottingham's Saxon settlement. Archeologists have unearthed clues within the sandstone caves to suggest that the site was linked with imprisonment & punishment from these early times. Written records show that the site was used as a court from 1375 and as a prison from 1449. The courts were largely rebuilt around 1876 following a major fire and the Victorians closed the jail in 1878 as part of the prison reforms due to the appalling conditions in which prisoners were held?
Executions by hanging took place on the steps of The Galleries of Justice and this was the only location in the UK where you could be tried, sentenced and have the punishment carried out all under the same roof. There is a heavy sense of the misery endured by those incarcerated here and we have unrestricted access to the location including the courts, night cell, men's cells, women's washrooms, chapel, caves and even the terrifying condemned cell where a prisoner's last hours were spent before succumbing to the noose as dawn broke.
Walk the floors and rooms of this vast location alone without feeling that you are being watched at every turn.
The Galleries of Justice are 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.
There has been a court of justice on this site since 1375, although over the Centuries, the courts and prison have been developed and enlarged. The first written reference to its use as a prison is in 1449. There has been a court of justice on this site since 1375, although over the centuries the courts and prison have been developed and enlarged.
The hall was re-built between 1769 and 1772 by the architect James Gandon from London and cost about £2,500. The builder was Joseph Pickford of Derby.
The building was fronted by an iron palisade to help control unruly crowds on the occasion of a public hanging. Additional wings were added 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.
The last public execution was held in 1864 when Richard Thomas Parker was hanged.
In 1876 major improvements were made and the front was redesigned in a style described as Italianate by Mr Bliss-Sanders of Nottingham. Within a few weeks a fire broke out and nearly destroyed all of the newly completed work.
Following a fire in 1876, the courts were largely rebuilt by Thomas Chambers Hine between 1876 and 1879, by the end of the refurbishment, the prison gaol was closed.
