West Midlands Police Museum: Family fun and out of hours visits

26 October 2022

Up until Sunday (30 October), the museum, located in the Lock-Up, in Steelhouse Lane, Birmingham, will be hosting a number of Halloween-themed activities for younger visitors.

As well as arts and crafts, children will also be able to enjoy ‘Help Cookie the cat find the Lock-Up Rat’, with a family-friendly, interactive ‘ghosts of the Lock-Up’ trail completing the week on Saturday and Sunday.

“The ghost trail will be centred around legendary local stories based on people from Birmingham - and it’s all family-friendly, so hopefully we’ll see as many people there as possible,” said manager Corinne Brazier.

“The ‘ghosts of the Lock-Up trail’ will include volunteers dressing up as local ‘ghosts’ and telling their stories - but rest assured, they’re not scary, so all ages are welcome.”

Following half-term the museum will be opening its doors out of hours for some extra special events including a must-see illustrated talk from historian, bestselling author and broadcaster Professor Carl Chinn MBE.  

Taking place on Thursday 1 December, Carl - who is a great-grandson of a real Peaky Blinder - will be giving visitors a real insight into gang life on the streets of Birmingham in the 1890s and early 20^th century.

“I don’t think tickets will take long to sell for the talk with Carl Chinn,” added Corinne, “So you better get in there quick if you fancy it.

“He is a fantastic speaker and I’ve heard he’s pretty hard to pin down as he is so busy, so we’re all really excited about welcoming him to the museum.

“We’ve all watched the television series of Peaky Blinders, but now it’s time to find out what life in Birmingham was really like back then.”

In November, shortly after Remembrance Sunday, the museum will be hosting its first-ever ‘Evening Talk - Remembering Fallen Officers’, a night dedicated entirely to honouring the brave police officers who lost their lives either in World War I or World War II, or serving as a cop in the West Midlands during that time.

Corinne added: “Remembering and honouring fallen soldiers is a huge part of the museum, so this particular evening talk will be very special to us. It’s important that we continue to tell their stories.”

 Also coming up is ‘The Hangman Diaries’ on Friday 2 December, an out of hours lock-up experience with actors playing the part of executioners James Berry and John Ellis. 

Visitors will get the chance to listen to their experience of hanging the likes of Dr Crippen, John ‘Babbacombe’ Lee and Jack the Ripper suspect William Bury.

Back by popular demand, one of the final events of 2022 will see the museum host one of its murder mystery nights.

Taking place on Friday 9 December, ‘The Murder of Jack Doyle’ will be an intimate evening of around 25 guests, with visitors using evidence and following clues in an attempt to discover who killed Jack Doyle.

All these events come after the successful re-opening of the three-storey museum back in April, following a two-year refurbishment.

As well as a large display of police memorabilia, visitors can also explore dress cells, which tell the story of former offenders, as well as view police photography and forensics.

Additionally, the museum includes a Tardis-like police box, a life-sized police horse and police motorbikes.

Dates for your diary include:

Half-term activities and Halloween fun: up until Sunday 30 October

Ghosts of the Lock-Up trail: Saturday 29 and Sunday 30 October

Evening talk - Remembering Fallen Officers: Saturday 19 November

Evening talk - The Real Peaky Blinders: Thursday 1 December

The Hangman Diaries: Friday 2 December

The Murder of Jack Doyle: Friday 9 December

Ticket prices vary. Visit the museum’s website for more information on any of the events.