Tetbury Police Museum & Courtroom

Tetbury Police Museum occupies the original Victorian police station on Long Street, a building that still holds its full complement of stone cells, a court room and the atmosphere of a working station from another era. Entry is free throughout, and the volunteers who run it are generous with time and knowledge.

Children can dress up in replica police uniforms, follow a quiz and trail through the building, and step into the cells, which are small, stone-walled and exactly as arresting as you would hope. The 1950s courtroom has been set up with audio playback of a hearing in session, which gives the room a compelling quality that children and adults both find difficult to shake. The collection traces more than 170 years of the Gloucestershire Constabulary through equipment, photographs and stories about the town and its people.

Free guided tours run on Wednesdays and Fridays and are worth timing a visit around. The museum is compact and suits primary-age children and older, making it a good choice for a morning when the weather has turned or when a full day attraction would be too much. Tetbury's independent shops and cafes on the High Street make a natural extension to the visit.

Good for: history, rainy-day. Ages: 3–4, 5–7, 8–11, 12+.