Nottingham’s Galleries of Justice museum is changing its name and expanding with the help of a £1 million grant.
The attraction on High Pavement will become the National Justice Museum in February next year after closing temporarily for redevelopment work.
Managers also announced the Egalitarian Trust, which runs the museum and the City of Caves attraction, will also adopt the new name.
The £1 million from Heritage Lottery funding will be spent on new exhibitions showcasing the museum’s huge collection of crime and punishment artefacts and materials – much of which is usually kept in storage.
It is hoped the change will help make the site more of a nationally-famous attraction and make exhibitions more interactive.
Chief Executive Tim Desmond said: “This is a hugely exciting time for our charity as we bring all our work together under one title and truly become a national museum.
“Our central vision is to provide an opportunity for all to learn about the law so people can be inspired by their rights and responsibilities to make positive changes in their lives.
“We look forward to engaging with a diverse range of people from across the UK and beyond – whether that be through exhibitions and activities available at our museum, or through our education programmes available at legal and heritage sites across the UK.”
The trust also runs the National Centre for Citizenship and the Law, which will become National Justice Museum Education.
The Galleries will be closed from as-yet unspecified date in December until February 2017 to allow work to be done.
The trust was established in 1993 after a fundraising effort, with millions of pounds raised to restore the site of Nottingham’s Shire Hall.
The Galleries of Justice Museum opened in 1995. In 2004 the trust took over the running of Nottingham’s City of Caves.
