Location: Steelhouse Lane Lock Up, Birmingham
Price: We went via Buckt, the UKs only monthly ticketing subscription box. But tickets can also be purchased through Eventbrite for the next open day on the 10th November 2018. Tickets are £5 for adults, £3.50 for children aged 5 and above and FREE for under 5s.
We had a lovely morning today heading to the lock up for 10am.
We were greeted outside by a gentleman who handed us an instruction leaflet for the tour. And before long we were in the front door, having our photo taken with the lovely gentleman who was checking tickets.
For those who haven’t heard of Steelhouse Lane Lock Up, it is a former police cell block, opened in 1892 and operated for 125 years before closing in 2017. It has since been opened up as a museum on a few select days a month whilst funding is found to open it as a more permanent fixture.
It has housed some famous villains including Fred West and some of the original Peaky Blinders.
We enjoyed looking around at the various cells. The low floor bed for the inmates who came in intoxicated.
And the higher beds for those who were not going to fall out and injure themselves.
It was nice that the children could play in the cells and see what this environment would be like for ‘naughty people’ as Jemima calls them.
The girls loved that they could see all the way to the bottom level of the building through the grated floor.
When we got to the bottom level the girls enjoyed having their fingerprints taken. I’ll now also be able to identify which cheeky child has been in the chocolate draw at home now I’ve got the fingerprint records. Ha.
For adults there’s plenty of interesting things to read and to look at. A table of all the old radios that were used was quite interesting.
And there were DNA rooms and cupboards for you to look at (no items obviously. But labels showing what would be where).
The girls loved being able to stand behind the wooden boards and pull faces.
And the dressing up section (for children and adults) was a hit for the girls who really immersed themselves in that activity.
The whole experience was great and for just £5 an adult, it’s definitely worth booking a visit.
At the end of the trip next to the interview rooms, is a museum shop. The girls purchased two whistles (I don’t recommend these as my ears now hurt. Ha!) but they have a few little trinkets for kids including a policeman rubber duck and pencils with Steelhouse Lane written on them. For adults you can purchase a number of police books and they also sell cans of drink too.
Outside the building is an old 1993 police car for people to look at. My girls were more interested in the new whistles at this point though.
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