Old Police Cells Museum

What it’s like

A one-hour guided walk through Brighton's old underground police cells, tucked below the town hall.

This is a below-ground visit, not a hands-on museum with buttons to press. You're taken round in a small group, on a set hour-long slot, looking at the actual cells where people were held, with a guide talking you through the history as you go. It suits kids who can cope with a bit of a guided tour and some genuinely creepy corners rather than toddlers who need to run about and touch things.

The site itself is part of the experience and part of the challenge. It's underground, with uneven floors, steps and lighting that varies from room to room, and the site itself flags that ventilation is limited and temperatures can swing, including getting warm in winter, which is the sort of detail that tells you this isn't a big open space to wander freely.

Slots are short and specific: Thursday 1pm to 2pm, and Friday and Saturday 10:30am to 11:30am. Booking is required, so this isn't one for turning up on spec. It's a walk from Brighton train station, about 12 minutes, or there are buses that stop nearby at Old Steine and North Street.

Because it's a single hour with a guide, this works best as one stop in a bigger day out rather than the whole outing. If you've got a child who likes real history over interactive screens, or one who's fascinated by the slightly grim details of old cells, this is the bit they'll bring up later.

Facilities

Need to know

Getting there by bus or train

Brighton train station (12-minute walk)

• Slots are short, an hour at most, so it works well paired with something else nearby
• The underground rooms have variable lighting and temperature, so dress for it
• There are steps and uneven floors throughout, worth knowing if anyone in your group struggles with those

Plan your visit

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