Beyond the Mask; Poisons, Police, and Punishment
…..would you keep poison in the pantry ? As part of Heritage Open weekend we are excited to welcome Howard, a retired Coventry West Midlands Police Officer who will be taking us on a journey of crime in the 18th and 19th century. When, in 1849 , Mary Ball was sentenced for the arsenic poisoning …
The return of Roger the Safety Car has inspired our Terrific Transport summer, so it’s only right he is our object of the month! Roger, and other safety cars like him, were part of a safety initiative in the 1990’s which aimed to teach school children about road safety. Travelling to schools across Birmingham and …
This guest blog post comes from our work experience placement Zainab. This is her experience with us, in her own words Throughout my time doing work experience at the museum, I have learnt a lot not only about the history of policing, but I’ve also acquired a set of skills that will benefit me greatly …
Our favourite object this month is this West Midlands Police body armour. An early example, from the 1990s, designed to protect officers in dangerous situations. Stored at police stations or in police cars, this type of body armour was available for police officers to use, if needed. Today body armour is personal issue, every police …
Fancy a day out with a difference. Dad’s can visit us for just £5 this Father’s Day, with a paying child, be that big kid or little kid! Spend some time at our Victorian lock up and discover what life was like beind bars. There is plenty to do for all the family, trails for …
Golden milestone for Harry Hawkins
Richard Henry Hawkins BEM served over 50 years with Birmingham City Police His service started during the reign of Queen Victoria and spanned two world wars Richard Henry Hawkins was born in Birmingham on 22 December 1872. In 1881, aged 8, he was living with his father, Henry Hawkins (52 yrs) a rolling mill labourer …
Festive Fun at the West Midlands Police Museum
Looking for something that the whole family can enjoy this Christmas, then join us for some ‘Festive Fun’ from Saturday 16th December to Friday 23rd December . Help Lock-up Mouse find all of the elves and make your very own police snowman decoration. Explore our Victorian Lock-up and learn all about policing in the past, …
Remembering Sergeant Ralph Ramadhar
Yes we have shared his story before as part of #BlackHistoryMonth, but he is a pioneer in policing in the West Midlands, and we think his story should be celebrated all the time 💙 Meet Ralph Ramadhar, the first black police officer in Birmingham in 1966: Ralph met his wife Nell in the late 1950s. …
A Day of Remembrance at the UK Police Memorial
Today was the first anniversary of the dedication of the UK Police Memorial at the National Memorial Arboretum. Police forces and families of fallen officers were invited to a special service to mark the anniversary, attended by Home Secretary Priti Patel MP, and pay tribute to officers from around the UK and working overseas, who …
Case Closed – The Murder of Edward Pope
On Saturday 2nd July, the Lock-up helped play a role in solving a murder. The suspects were brought in and held in our cells whilst we invited a group of special investigators to help solve the crime. Whilst this might not be the first set of suspects we have ever held in our cells, they …
Introducing a new acquisition for the West Midlands Police Museum, and certainly one of the oldest items now in our collection, a rare object relating to law and order prior to the creation of the Birmingham Borough Police in 1839. Staves such as the Birmingham one would have been carried by a civic official and …
As I sit here in my West Midlands Police Museum polo shirt, fleece and lanyard, sipping a cold glass of Sauvignon Blanc, I feel it is the perfect time for the next Diary of a Heritage Manager blog. I had intended for these to capture the excitement and activity in the delivery phase of our …
We are recruiting for volunteers to support us when we re-open in April. You can volunteer in a variety of different roles, including retail, customer service, delivering educational inputs or just generally helping people out with their visit to the museum. Whilst many of our volunteers are serving or retired officers and staff, you do …
As 2021 comes to an end, the Lock-up building works are progressing at pace and nearing completion! The old roof has come off and the new one is nearing completion, some doorways have been widened to make them more accessible and our new stairwells are almost complete. Some of the floors in the basement have …
We are very excited to share two of the latest additions to our shop. The first is a new book by a former Mounted Branch officer, which details a hilarious account of life in the Mounted Department from the 1970s. Written in a very entertaining style, this book offers an interesting insight into the role …
