The Judge’s Lodging, Hereford, England United Kingdom

Explore the fascinating world of Victorian judges, their servants, felonious guests at this award winning, totally hands-on, historic house. Visit the stunningly restored Judge’s apartment aided by an ‘eavesdropping’ audio-tour featuring Robert Hardy. Damp cells and vast courtroom included!

It was heralded as one of the UK’s top ten museums in the Best of British Awards 2004-05 and won a Sandford Educational Award for its excellent schools programme. The SAVE Britain’s Heritage organisation also called it ‘ the most remarkable survivor of all UK court buildings’ and as setting a model for preservation in its recent survey on the future of Britain’s law courts. There is a souvenir guidebook charting the history of the building and its restoration and there are monthly events ranging from kids’ fun days and local history lectures to courtroom dramatisations and Victorian dinners, keep an eye on the website www.judgeslodging.org.uk

The judge’s apartments themselves have been stunningly restored, along with the gaslit servants’ quarters and vast echoing courtroom, where you are haunted by the echoes of trials long since concluded. If you have children to entertain, you don’t have to worry about being told off every time they move because the building has a ‘hands-on’ policy – you can lie on the beds, read the judge’s books and even pump water in the kitchen. There are activity chests around the building for kids to explore, plus their very own guide book which tells of some of the stranger (and grosser) aspects of Victorian life, with , of course, a large helping of ‘toilets and pants’ talk!. There is also Arthur, the very popular white museum cat, who greets visitors and loves attention.

The beautiful town of Presteigne itself was named as one of the top ten places to live in Britain in a Country Life Survey, whilst the route from there to Aberystwyth is in the AA’s top ten scenic routes in Europe. Even way back in the 1850s, Lord Chief Justice Campbell visited and called the town ‘a sort of paradise’ and the Judge’s Lodging ‘ the most commodious and elegant apartments for a judge in all England and Wales. How can you resist a visit!