PLAN YOUR VISIT
All you need to know for your visit.
Opening Times
The museum is open Thursday and Friday from 10.30am to 4.00pm. We are closed between 12.30pm – 1.30pm.
Admission to the museum is free and there is no booking – you just turn up!
We are open until 22 December 2023. We will be closed for the Christmas holidays on 28 and 29 December. We reopen as normal on Thursday 4 January 2024.
Getting Here
By Train
By Bus
By Car
Lancashire Police Museum is in the A wing of Lancaster Castle. The postcode for Lancaster Castle is LA1 1YN.
The castle is signposted from the M6 motorway. If travelling from the north, visitors should exit the M6 at Junction 34. If travelling from the south, visitors should exit at Junction 33.
Parking
Visitors might also consider making use of Lancaster’s “park and ride”, which is a cheap all-day option. It is located just off Junction 34 of the M6. Park and ride buses operate Monday to Saturday and the China Street park and ride bus stop is less than a 5-minute walk from the castle.
There are three public car parks within 300m of the Castle entrance:
- Castle Hill and St Mary’s Parade (LA1 1YN) but limited spaces and two-hour maximum stay
- Parksafe (LA1 1EQ)
- Dallas Road (LA1 1LD)
Accessibility
Visitors are advised that Lancaster Castle is located on top of a hill and that approaches from all directions are steep. The visitor entrance is the main gateway to the castle at the front of the building (the John O’Gaunt gate) and there are cobblestones.
Access to the Lancashire Police Museum is by stairs. We are sorry that there is no lift access at present for those less mobile, in a wheelchair or with a buggy.
Assistance dogs are welcome inside the museum but no other dogs are allowed inside the building.
Group Visits
We welcome group visits of all ages. Lancashire Police Museum is a special place, inside a former prison in the historic Lancaster Castle. However, group bookings need to be made in advance of a visit due to controls on visitor numbers. All group visits to the Lancashire Police Museum are free.
Short introductions or longer tours are available free of charge and on request.
Please email the Lancashire Police Museum to discuss your group visit:
policemuseum@lancashire.police.uk
School Visits
Our 20 to 30 minute interactive talks are available free of charge.
- Prison and roles in policing + quiz (suitable for KS1 and upwards). PSHE curriculum link
- Law and order in nineteenth century Lancashire (KS2 upwards)
- Prison and prison reform, history of Lancashire Constabulary and 1930s Buck Ruxton murder case + quiz (KS2 upwards)
- Prisons and prison reform, history of Lancashire Constabulary + quiz (KS2 upwards)
