Originally built as a seat for the Duke of Lancaster, the original castle buildings were rarely used as home or fortress. Over subsequent centuries, the castle was remodelled, extended and converted to a gaol, court house and place of execution.

A guided tour will take you to medieval dungeons which were employed during witch trials, the holding cells for the regional assizes, a Victorian prison wing and the (still functioning) county and Crown courts. Indeed, the extant Crown Court is reputed to be the longest continuously serving court in the country. There are impressive heraldic displays in the court rooms.

Grisly details like branding irons and the exit to the scaffold can be viewed by those with strong stomachs.

Separately, within the castle courtyard, there is a Police Museum where even more cells can be seen!