Lancaster’s police museum celebrates visitor milestone

Sheila Rae and her grandson Ethan had the joint honour of helping Lancashire Police Museum to reach its milestone, seven months after opening at Lancaster Castle.

Museum co-ordinator Sabine Skae said:“We are delighted to have welcomed so many people through our doors including locals, school groups, as well as visitors from as far afield as China and Brazil.

Being a free, indoor attraction, housed in a wonderful castle, has helped with visitor numbers too, because it’s somewhere to while away a few hours, whatever the weather, immersing yourself in the rich history of Lancashire as a whole.”

The museum opened in June last year and is staffed by volunteers. It features 16 fascinating exhibits each housed within a prison cell.

Displays detail the history of Lancashire Constabulary, police training, forensic development – including how some very famous local cases were solved – and an overview of some of the different police departments including the mounted branch, dog unit, underwater search unit and firearms.

There is also a mock custody suite with interactive exhibits, an area for visitors to try on uniforms and an exhibition dedicated to modern day policing with information about opportunities to join the police.

“As you would expect, we’re finding a lot of people interested in our history but also hundreds of people keen to hear about present day policing and in particular career opportunities, of which there are many,” said Sabine.

The museum is free and open on Thursdays and Fridays from 10.30am-12.30pm and 1.30pm-4pm.

Anyone wishing to visit the museum can find out more at [email protected] or on Facebook and Instagram.