It has been 22 years since the Greater Manchester Police Museum revealed to the public, the preserved and restored magistrates’ courtroom, originally installed at the Denton Police Station in what was then Lancashire (now Greater Manchester).
This incredible Victorian magistrate’s court was originally built on the first floor of the Denton Police Station in 1895 and continued in operation until the 1990s. During this time, prisoners held in the Denton Police station cells would be escorted upstairs to face criminal proceedings, have their case argued by a prosecuting and defence solicitors, and to potentially receive sentencing from the local magistrate.
In the UK all cases of criminal behaviour will pass through a magistrate’s court, with lesser crimes being dealt with by the magistrate court directly via fines or short imprisonment, and more serious crimes being transferred to a Crown Court for potentially more extensive sentencing.
During the last decade or so of its operation, the magistrate’s court in Denton served as a juvenile court, focusing on criminal proceedings for anyone between ages 10 and 17. During this time much of the original courtroom was repainted and wallpapered green, red and blue in an attempt to make the room more comfortable for young people.
By the turn of the century the court room was no longer in use and was in a state of disrepair. The century-old Victorian interior was then due to be torn out and disposed of.
Faced with the loss of a rare historically authentic Victorian courtroom from Greater Manchester, the GMP Museum intervened and made plans to painstakingly deconstruct the courtroom, restore its material, and accurately reconstruct it on the museums first floor. Eventually, and with the financial assistance of the National Lottery’s Heritage Fund, the courtroom was installed, restored and opened for public viewing in 2004.
The project not only saved a rare and engaging piece of Greater Manchester history but provided the opportunity to return the courtroom to its more authentic original state, as it would have likely looked in 1895. 22 years later, the Denton courtroom remains one of the most impressive and valuable assets of the GMP museum and plays a key role in the curriculum of over 150 schools across the UK.