Prison and Police Museum
St. Marygate
Ripon
Yorkshire
This former House of Correction and Liberty Gaol goes back to the late 17th Century, but the part where the museum is located was constructed as a gaol later, in 1816. Prison reforms saw an end to this and many other prisons in the late 19th Century. After a period of non-use, this building became the local police station in 1887.
This history is now displayed in the newly refurbished museum, just opened again to the public.
Interesting exhibits are a pillory, a pair of stocks, a whipping post, a Dr. Who-style Police Box and a cell where you are the prisoner! There's also an audio-visual presentation giving you more information, and examples of police uniforms and headgear from the period.