West Midlands Police Museum offers a unique day out in the heart of Birmingham. From visitors with an interest in local history, to budding detectives (of all ages) and fans of the macabre, the venue has something to suit all tastes. Intrigued to find out more, we took a visit to The Lock Up to check out ‘life on both sides of the bars’...

Birmingham’s West Midlands Police Museum is an unassuming red brick building, situated on the city’s Steelhouse Lane and only five minutes walk from Snow Hill Station. The popular visitor attraction will soon celebrate its second birthday, after opening its doors in April 2022.

The building was a fully functional ‘Lock Up’ from 1891 until 2016 - a place to hold people after they had been arrested. In most cases, prisoners would spend less than 24 hours in the building before being sent to trial in the courts next door. Intriguingly, this journey was made through a tunnel between the two buildings, which can still be seen in the museum’s basement.

Visitors spend a moment behind bars in the entrance ‘lock up’ and check in at the erstwhile charge desk - now a reception desk - before making their way to the main prison block. Unlike the blue Police Box on display from Coventry - which is a hit with visiting Doctor Who fans - the museum really does seem bigger on the inside.

Metal grille balconies give access to the cells on each floor. From any point in the main building, it’s possible to see all the way down to the basement and up to the glass roof. This is actually a 130-year-old security feature, allowing police officers to see and hear trouble arising - even two floors away.

Unsurprisingly, the open feeling doesn’t extend to the cells. Many lack windows, and in their original form were lit only by a candle in a recess high up the wall. On busy nights, multiple prisoners could occupy one cell - an unsettling thought for those free to wander in and out of cells as they please.

When safer prison conditions were implemented in the early 21st century, four cells were kept in their existing condition - honouring the building’s Grade II listed status and providing a glimpse of its former life.

Each cell now hosts an exhibit, covering anything from early police bicycles, to corporal punishment, and stories of people who were detained there.

The museum is run by a tight-knit team of staff and a large bank of volunteers, which includes serving and retired police officers. It’s supported by both the Heritage Fund and West Midlands Police and promises ‘a unique perspective of life on both sides of the bars’.

Real care has been taken to maintain this balance, and the staff do everything they can to ensure that visitors have a grand day out.

Engagement Officer Archie creates bespoke programmes for visiting schools and the museum boasts a huge amount of educational material, designated space for sessions, and an enthusiastic team to deliver them. School visits can even include sleepovers, where pupils bunk down in cells.

There is a forensic trail in the basement, where visitors solve a crime by collecting clues, fingerprints and plaster casts of footprints. On occasion, crime scenes feature Camilla - a full-size mannequin donated (and named) by the hospital next door.

As well as catering for younger visitors, the museum also offers popular murder-mystery nights, giving would-be detectives the chance to catch a murderer by interviewing suspects dotted around the cells. There’s also a host of after-hours talks, events and activities to suit visitors with darker tastes.

Fans of true crime can hear ‘stories of murder and mayhem’ and see some of the more ghoulish items in the museum’s collection at a bespoke event called The Macabre Museum on Sunday 14 April. Not for the faint-hearted and limited to visitors over 18 years old, the event provides an opportunity to see the most notorious items in the venue’s archives.

There are also regular after-dark ghost-hunting tours of the building, which feature spooky stories of strange sightings and mysteries from around the West Midlands and the Lock Up itself.

Talks by visiting West Midlands Police officers and experts in related history complete the programme. Previous talks have included deep dives into the history of the real Peaky Blinders - a moniker that was never used by the police. The talk was hosted  by well-known local historian Professor Carl Chinn, who has a family connection to one of the gang members.

In addition to events and activities, the museum houses an impressive archive of records and artefacts, including some of the country’s first prisoner ‘mug shots’, dating back to the mid-19th century. Photography was a luxury commodity at the time, and the collection’s photos are often the only remaining images of these people. Members of the public investigating their family history occasionally approach the museum to check these records, and the staff are happy to oblige - although searching through them is no mean feat.

Some of the archive’s items, ledgers, photographs and historic uniforms are on permanent display. To see more of the collection, visitors can book a behind-the-scenes tour. These are generally scheduled during Birmingham Heritage Week in September.

Each month at the museum is themed to celebrate a different facet of the police force and its history. In March, the focus is on diversity within the police, while April marks the 50th anniversary of the West Midlands Police forming. The museum will be celebrating the occasion throughout the month, and the build-up to the anniversary is already in full swing - check out the website and social media for updates.

Although currently a gem hidden in plain sight, word is spreading about this fascinating building and the stories locked within. Tickets to visit cost £10 for adults and £6 for under-16s (with other concessions available).

West Midlands Police Museum offers an interactive journey into local history while celebrating revolutionary officers of the last 130 years. It’s also perfect for those with an interest in the techniques and technology the police have used to crack down on crime. And for anyone keen to see a life-size police horse, solve a murder, or dive into the past, the museum is a real treat.

West Midlands Police Museum at The Lock Up on Steelhouse Lane is open Wednesday to Sunday, and during the school holidays. Visit museum.west-midlands.police.uk for more information.

By Jessica Clixby